The Ones Who Never Grew Up
by Demi Brackensick
Summary: Megara, Jane, Esmeralda and Mulan along with the rest of the others, are all mentally ill. The four women are all shipped off to Briar Ridge Mental Hospital to receive a great amount of help. While these four women along with the rest are on their journey to recovery, will they get the chance to have the life that they've always wanted?
1. Mulan: May 6th

**Chapter 1: Mulan, May 6****th**

On a warm spring day of May 6th, twenty-one year old Mulan was currently sitting down at her bedroom window, her dark brown eyes glued on the outside view of the small village of China, unmoving, sitting motionless on the bed without making the slightest move, not even a subtle flinch. Every one of the little children in China playing wildly outside with one another, the teenage girls and guys talking animatedly together, even the elderly were out enjoying a little stroll through the village, inhaling the fresh cool air, so caught up in their enjoyment, except for Mulan that is. The young woman continued to sit very still at her window, her soft cheek slightly pressed against the cold glass, almost statue-like, unmoving, still remained wearing her light, silk traditional Chinese sleeping gown. It was nothing too fancy, aside from the pink Chinese blossoms that were decorated all over the red silk gown.

The instant smell of the traditional Chinese tea flowed throughout the tiny home, the sweet smell carrying its way throughout the house, flowing in through the slightly cracked open door, seeping its way into Mulan's room. The smell tickled her nose, but still, she did not make the slightest move, still remaining motionless at the window, her eyes never once leaving the stained, glass window. A few minutes later, the soft footsteps began to make their to the young woman's bedroom, footsteps that belonged to the woman's mother.

"Dear, the tea is ready" The older woman said softly. "Why don't you come and join us?" She suggested soothingly, her voice pleading and begging. Still, nothing. Mulan still remained sitting motionless on the window sill, almost as if she never heard her mother's voice. The older woman still remained standing in the doorway, worry and sorrow filling in her eyes.

If it was one is thing for sure, things around the little household have not been the same, ever since the tragic event that took place about one year ago. About a year ago, it was again, that time of the year where all the men in the little Chinese village were permitted to fight in the Chinese Army to defeat the Huns, which were described as very aggressive Chinese creatures and to save the Emperor of China, which was where Mualn came in. Disguising herself as a man to take her much older and weak father's place in the Army. Over the months of part taking in such a strong Army, having to be exposed to the brutal murders of the innocent villagers, having to witness the sight of seeing the morbid dead bodies of soldiers, who have been tortured, battered and brutally murdered and of course, following the sight of the same dark red liquid spilling out of their bodies. It was then, when she was injured during the Army, a deep gash to the stomach when her fellow soldier mates discovered that she was a woman impersonating a soldier, which unfortunately led to extreme punishment. There, the poor young woman had to endure brutal sexual assault including violent rapes, while being drugged and beaten, which later on resulted in leading her to a serious mental illness.

It wasn't easy having to accept the fact that their poor daughter is currently suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. From being the innocent, happy and carefree girl she once was, she sadly ended up with having to suffer from this serious, lifelong disorder but of course, Mulan didn't think so. For the past year, Mulan's entire family had been trying their hardest to do everything in their power to help and to cure their only daughter, which included them taking her to see the doctor every now and then, trying to get her to talk to her dead ancestors for comfort and support and of course, trying to talk to her and comforting her, but still, nothing ever worked.

Of course, there hadn't been a night where the terrified young woman wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night, screaming at the top of her lungs from those same, brutal nightmares that left her shaking violently and which continued to haunt her and overflow her pure thoughts. Having her mother and her grandmother jump and rush out of bed to comfort he daughter, was enough to drive her father insane, growing angrier and more irritated by the minute.

Having an only daughter, who was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress was not something her father could handle or in fact, put up with for very much longer. Today, Mulan was a very different person. Back then, she was always getting straight A's and high marks in school, she was very stable and very social with everyone. With being exposed to all that trauma has caused her to have great difficulty concentrating, often remains motionless locked up in her room, waking up screaming, crying and kicking and punching violently in the middle of the night from her chronic brutal nightmares and she is often very jumpy, shaken and is easily frightened if any male were to touch her, come near her or even make the slightest bit of eye contact. Every time her eyes would catch the sight of that same familiar soldier's uniform, the trembling began. Any piece of furniture in the household, including the polished silver sword of Shan-Yu or a well done beautiful painting of the Emperor's palace was enough to bring back those tragic memories.

It was hard and affected that entire family, with her dad growing more distant and less attached and of course her mother trying her hardest to cope with the fact that her daughter would most likely never be the same girl she was, ever again.

The older woman slowly and softly made her way into Mulan's room as she gently shifted her weight onto the window sill, careful to not make any sudden movement that might startle Mulan. The woman breathed a sigh of relief as Mulan continued to stay put, her cheek still pressed against the cold glass window. The woman sighed, her eyes carefully roaming over the young woman sitting across from her, her knees pulled tightly to her chest.

"Dear" The older woman said gently, slowly reaching out her delicate little fragile hand to touch her daughter, only to have Mulan suddenly whip her head from the window and stare down at her mother's hand, causing the older woman to jerk her hand back, the young woman startling her mother. The two women kept their eyes locked on each other, not making the slightest move. The older woman sighed sadly.

"What else can I do?" The older woman asked her daughter sadly, tears beginning to spill down her cheeks. Mulan did nothing but continue to keep her gaze on her mother.

"I've tried everything. Everyone has tried everything to help you, but nothing ever works" The older woman confessed, her voice shaking, fingers trembling. Still, Mulan said nothing, but she did feel pinch of guilt growing gradually inside of her of having to see her mother in tears because of how much she felt as though she was failing to help cure her only daughter.

"Dear, please…" The older woman begged silently again, reaching her hand out Mulan. Instantly, Mulan inched her body backwards, away from her mother, as if he she feared that her own mother would try and hurt her. The younger woman began shaking silently and trembling, hugging her knees tighter to her chest while slowly rocking back and forth. Upon seeing this, more tears spilled down the older woman's cheeks, her eyes filled with hurt and pain.

"I'm not going to hurt you, and I will not let anyone ever hurt you again" The older woman said gently, still reaching her hand out to her daughter. Mulan shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks, her whole body now beginning to shake and tremble.

"Please, come with me dear" The older woman begged again. Mulan stared into her mother's eyes. She could automatically feel the warmth inside them, telling her that she has nothing to worry about, that her mother will protect her and will never do anything to hurt her. Slowly and hesitantly, Mulan began to shift closer towards her mother, slowly until her little hand grasped her mother's, the both of them grasping onto each other's hands so desperately, it's as if they had been separated from each other for so long. The older woman rubbed both her hands in her daughter's, slowly raising both her arms to wrap them around her child protectively, with Mulan subtly flinching and squirming in her mother's arms, but soon she found herself nuzzling her head into the older woman's shoulder, automatically feeling warmth, comfort and protection. The older woman continued to embrace her daughter, tears still cascading down her cheeks, kissing the top of her head and her fingers combing through her silky, black hair.

"Come with me dear" The older woman said as she gently lifted herself of the window sill, her hands still entwined with Mulan's, as she too slowly and hesitantly lifted herself up off the window sill, clutching desperately onto her mother's hand, following right on her heels ever so closely. The two women exit Mulan's room and both made their way to the kitchen for their traditional tea.

0-0-0

"Mulan dear, would you please do the honours of pouring the tea for everyone?" The elderly woman asked her grand-daughter gently. The younger woman just sat there, still not moving, her brown eyes glued to the white kettle pot, not making the slightest move. The family patiently waited for at least a single letter word, or at least a tiny bit of movement from their daughter, but nothing, which her father was growing more and more frustrated, but instead he kept his crude thoughts to himself as opposed to blowing up right out of the blue, the last thing he wanted was for Mulan's frightened reaction. The two older women both sighed sadly, their eyes roaming over Mulan continuously in concern, but still she did not move. Her mind was too preoccupied with those same cynical and morbid images and thoughts, still not able to move on from what happened. It wasn't long until Mulan's mother decided to speak up.

"Dear, I know you're still traumatized but can you please do what your grandmother has asked you to do?" The older woman pleaded gently. For the past year, Mulan's family have also been having great difficulties trying to get her talking and mobile again, but of course that never worked either, as she was still traumatized from the tragic events that she's been carrying on her shoulders for a very long time. After a few minutes of silence and no movement, it was her father's turn to speak.

"It's no use, she won't even move, she won't even talk!" The older man muttered bitterly, deeply inhaling a big gulp of air, and then exhaling. The older woman turned to look at her husband, appalled.

"Dear, please don't start this now" The older woman begged gently, but the older man refused.

"She won't talk! She won't even move!" The older man said, his voice beginning to rise, which was enough to trigger Mulan's reaction as she silently began to tremble, her hands barely grasping the kettle, her fingers and hands shaking violently. The elderly woman noticed immediately and gently grabbed hold of Mulan's hands, grasping them protectively. The elder woman focused her gaze on the older man, her piercing glare boring into him.

"Stop, look at what you're doing" She hissed under breath, but of course, this was enough to make the older man snap his eyes shut tightly, clenching his fists which made his knuckles turn whiter than usual, until he finally erupted.

"I don't care! She needs to snap out of this faze! Mulan!" The older man roared at the top of his lungs, flipping the little brown wooden table over which sent all the delicate little cups flying and crashing onto the ground, which was enough to startle Mulan as she screamed in such terror, jumping up from the table as she began to tremble violently as well as starting to kick and scream at mid-air.

"DON'T HURT ME! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME! DON'T KILL ME!" The younger woman screamed and cried in terror as she dropped to her knees on the floor, crouching in a nearby corner, hugging her knees to her chest and began rocking back and forth, her whole body trembling and shaking. The elderly woman grabbed her cane and quickly dashed over to Mulan, crouching down near her and trying her best to calm her down.

"Shh, it's alright dear, no one is going to hurt you" The elderly woman said soothingly. Mulan continued crying heavily, when soon the older woman came rushing over to her daughter and instantly wrapped her arms around her, rocking her and whispering hushed words to her.

"Don't let them hurt me….please don't let them hurt me" Mulan begged desperately, still crying and hiccupping violently, her body still trembling.

"Shhh, it's okay dear, I'm here….it's okay" The older woman whispered soothingly, gently rocking her daughter back and forth. Both of the women turned to look at the older man standing above them, fixing their gazes into deep piercing glares, the ones that cut like a sharp knife, very deep. The older man felt no remorse for his actions. Instead, he grabbed his cane and angrily limped his way out of the kitchen, the two women's glares both still boring into his back.

0-0-0

Things would never go back to normal, as much as her mother tried to cope with things and accept things for the way they were, it was obvious to her and to her grandmother that things were never going back to normal. No matter how hard she tried, nothing was ever going to be the same. On top of that, her father was no help at all. Deep down, her mother knew that her father could not take one more chance, or even a single glance at her no more.

The elderly woman decided to keep Mulan out of the house for a little while so she could get some fresh air because God only knows that she desperately needs it. The two sat in silence, with elderly woman smiling as she watched the pink pedal cherry blossoms falling delicately from the trees and landing gently into the small little blue pond, the pedals reflection rippling in the water. Still, Mulan sat motionless, not moving, her eyes staring into straight into space. The elderly woman couldn't help but worry, her heart rate dangerously increasing due to the constant stress within the household. Back in the little house, all the villagers could make out was the hums and murmurs of the older couple arguing with one another, but they could not make out what the argument was about, but of course they were arguing about their daughter.

After a few hours of arguing, the whole family was able to come to an agreement. With Mulan being locked inside her room, lying on her bed, her brown eyes trained on the white bright ceiling above her. It wasn't long until those same soft footsteps reached her room, only to reveal her mother. At first, she hesitated, but finally let it out.

"Dear, come with me, there is something important we need to discuss" The older woman said gently, as she slowly made her way to her daughter. Instead of Mulan being hesitant as usual, she automatically accepted her mother's presence as she took her mother's hand, lifted herself off the bed and followed her mother to the den, grasping her hand. Once they reached the den, there sat her angry father and her worried grandmother. The older woman patted the small couch down to make room for both her and Mulan. The gently adjusted their weight onto the couch with the springs complaining underneath them. Awkward silence filled the air, but soon, the older woman was the first to speak, inhaling a gulp of air deeply and exhaled slowly, and finally began to confess.

"Sweetie, I know this may seem very hard, but….you're going to have to go away for a while" The older woman confessed gently. For the first time in a year, the younger woman slowly turned her head to gaze at her mother, the look on her face filled with pain, sorrow and worry. Her mouth beginning to tremble, mumbling and looking for the right words to say.

"I-I….w-what…w-why….?" Mulan stammered, her voice begging desperately. The older woman tried her hardest to fight back tears.

"Dear, you're very ill and…we all think that you need serious help…" The woman explained sadly. Instantly, the younger woman shook her head quickly, her hands beginning to tremble and her whole body beginning to shake.

"N-no…I-I…..n-no!" Mulan began to yell, slowly rising up from the couch. "T-they will hurt me! They'll hurt me all over again!" At this point, tears were spilling down her cheeks. The elderly woman too had tears cascading down her cheeks, her lips quivering at the sight of seeing her grand-daughter so helpless and desperate.

"No one will hurt you! I promise you! They will take care of you and they will help you, sweetie. I promise everything will be okay" The woman explained. At this point, the younger woman dropped to her knees, grabbing onto her mother's waist desperately, crying heavily.

"No! No! Please don't make me go back there! They will hurt me just like they did before! Please don't do this to me! Don't send me away!" The young woman cried desperately, which was enough to make her mother burst into tears and embrace her daughter tightly.

"I can't take this anymore! She has to go! She is not well and if she won't cooperate, then she has to go!" The older man yelled, slamming his cane into the hardwood floor with such force.

"Please Poppa! Don't do this to me! Please! I'm sorry!" Mulan begged her father desperately, but of course he didn't care. All he wanted was this person who was not his same little girl, out of his house.

"Send her away tomorrow" He demanded as he limped out of the den, with the elderly woman glaring at him through her tears. The three women continued to sit and cry in the den, their voices silently waking up the rest of the other villagers.

So this was it. As of tomorrow, twenty-one year old Mulan would be out of her house, the place she called her sanctuary and will be thrown into a mental hospital, a place that was all so new to her. How could her family think that she was ill? If she was ill, what illness was she suffering from? Didn't her family love her? Why did her father hate her and why was he so quick to throw her, his own daughter of out his home? Did he not love her anymore? What was sending her away going to do for her? Was she not the perfect daughter that her family wanted her to be? Her nightmare was just beginning.

All she knew was, being sent away was definitely going to be twice as torturous as it was a year ago.

**What did you guys think? I hope you guys like, because I thought this concept would be very interesting to write about. Let me know what you guys think? R&R!**


	2. Megara: May 7th

**Chapter 2: Megara, May 7****th**

It was a beautiful spring sunny day in the small town of Thebes in Greece. Of course, the entire little Greek town was now flooded with the enormous population of the rest of the well-known Greek citizens, the bright hot sun boring down onto the stampede crowd, sweat and stickiness pouring out of every single citizen in the crowded area. Every single individual are always friendly with one another, eager to chit chat and to catch up with old friends. All except for one individual in particular, the young woman who pretty much isolated herself from everything, and more importantly, everyone.

Twenty-one year old Megara-Meg as she preferred to be called-was currently wandering aimlessly down the dry hot street of Greece, alone. Her body language pretty much told anyone to get lost. The young woman was anything but friendly, which is why most of the other citizens kept their distance from the harsh and bitter Grecian beauty, but that did not bother, she could care less what the others thought of her. Her mind was always caught up in the negative energy, but not just negative energy about anyone, the negative attitude was mainly built up on herself. To Meg, nothing was ever positive to her. The young woman tends to look at life in a more dreary and depressing way, her mind was always built up on gloominess and bitterness, which was one of the reasons why she never had any friends, that is except for her one and only closest friend, Hercules.

Instantly, her mind became preoccupied with the thought of her long-time friend. Back then, the two had known each other ever since they were little toddlers, with Hercules being one year older than she was. The two met when Hercules had just moved into the little Greek village, where Meg and her family were currently living. Back then, the young twenty-one year old was about four years old, while the young man was five years old. The exact day they met was on a chilly fall night, the air was cool but the wind bit lightly at Meg's cheeks as she was playing and running through the soft ever green field, alone, in the ever green forest, which was until a clumsy boy had somehow tripped over his own two feet as his body was curled up in a ball, rolling down the soft fragrant field, his crouched up body suddenly bumping smack into the little girl, as the two crashed and landed right in delicate river stream, the water splashing up from the ground and splattering all over the two little figures, with Meg's favourite aqua coloured dress covered in splotches of mud, while the little boy was covered in mud, head to toe, his white toga all splattered in dirty mud.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" The little girl screamed, trying to wipe the mud off her dress but it was no use. The little boy just awkwardly stood there, his lips quivering and his eyes widening in shock.

"I-I…..I'm sorry. I didn't expect to bump into you like that" The little boy apologized desperately. Although he was only five years of age, that didn't stop him from immediately beginning to fantasize about the girl, her milky pale skin looked so soft and delicate, her purple violet eyes boring into his, the way how her long luscious auburn brown hair was tied into a high pony tail, spilled down her back almost like a waterfall, her face so beautiful with her slight chubby little cheeks, so goddess like, not to mention, she had the body of an angel. Even though the girl was four years of age, she already seemed to have the right curves in the right places, which is what every person, especially every little girl did not understand, but that's who she was and that's how she became.

"Why are you staring at me?" The little girl demanded bitterly, her small little hands placed loosely on her hips, clearly showing that wasn't your typical little girl, and instead she had attitude and independence.

"I-I…..I was…j-just…" The boy stuttered, tripping over his words. At first, the girl was growing impatient, but instead, she couldn't help but find his constant stammering to be…somewhat cute in away. Her little face began to soften, her tight knit eye brows relaxing as did her whole body as she slowly made her way over to the stuttering little boy, pressing her little finger against his lips.

"Shh…it's okay, I'll help you" She insisted as she reached her two little hands into the water, scooping the clear liquid into her tiny hands and began to lightly splash the liquid all over the boy, trying her hardest to wash down all the mud from his face, his perfect little tanned chiselled face, his big blue eyes widening in shock, his jaw dropped open, the way how his short curly orange red hair was all tangled and mucked up from the dampness from the stream, and his somewhat toned muscular little body was enough to make the little girl blush, after all, he was handsome, but of course they were too young to engage in that sort of activity at this age. Once she finished cleaning the mud off his face, the two kept their eyes locked on each other, until the little boy spoke.

"I-I'm…..Hercules" The little boy said. "What's your name?" He asked the girl innocently.

"I'm Megara….but you can call me Meg" The little girl said, sheepishly extending her hand out to the boy as the two children gently grasped each other's hands and shook them.

Over the years, the two children instantly became the best of friends, inseparable even. There hasn't been a day where the two would not play together in the field, engaging in activities like hide and seek and such, getting dirty in the mud and playing in the stream, since pretty much they were considered the outcasts to everyone in the small town of Thebes, but that didn't matter to them. All that mattered was that they had each other and that was never going to change. One warm summer night at the ages of twelve and thirteen, the two rambunctious teens were out laying in the soft green field, the field where they first met, enjoying a warm night, watching over the bright white moonlight in the dark blue sky with all the little white stars scattered ever so peacefully in the sky, the air was humid, but that didn't bother them. Silence filled the air, but the teenage boy was the first to speak.

"You know, I remember we first met here, the time we were both covered in mud" Hercules confessed, chuckling at the memory. Upon hearing this, automatically a smile spread across the teenage girls' face.

"How can I forget, you nearly crushed me" Meg said, giggling softly. The two remained silent for a few moments, taking in the bright whole moonlight and letting the hot humid night air seep into the skins, the soft heat sinking right through their pale flesh. Finally, the teenage girl broke the silence as she slowly adjusted her head to face her friend.

"You know you're my best friend, right?" She asked softly. The teenage boy smiled softly and nodded, adjusting his body in his friend's direction, propping up on his elbows, his blue eyes gazing over her.

"Of course, and you're my best friend too, my only friend, the friend that I can trust and count on" Hercules confessed sheepishly as rush of blood began to heat inside him, causing the blood to rush to his cheeks. Meg slowly adjusted her whole body so she was facing him completely.

"Promise me, we will always be best friends forever, and not let anything or anyone come between us, ever." Hercules said gently, looking over his friend carefully as he lifted up his hand and stuck out his pinky finger, causing the teenage girl to tilt her mouth into a soft smile, her violet eyes roaming over her only friend. "Promise?" The teenage boy asked again.

"I promise, nothing will ever come between us" Meg said softly, smiling as she lifted up her hand, sticking out her pinky finger as the two wrapped their little fingers around each other's, promising never to let anything break up their friendship. Unfortunately, that promise all began to slowly start crumbling down in a matter of years. At the age of sixteen when two teens were in their junior year of high school at Prometheus Academy, Meg began dating a handsome guy by the name of Adonis, who Hercules was not very fond of. The two were so in love and caught up in their love with one another, which Meg nearly started to forget about Hercules, which eventually made him fed up.

There wasn't a time where the young teenage girl would constantly ditch her one and only friend for her boyfriend. Dating the most popular guy on the football team was enough to make her gain a tremendous amount of popularity from every one of the single classmates, so caught up in popularity and appreciation that she never eve realized how badly she was hurting Hercules, her best friend, her friend that she had made a huge promise to back when they were twelve and thirteen. But hey, some people make promises that they can't keep, right? Despite the fact that Meg and Adonis had been together for one year-with Meg being seventeen years of age at the time-that didn't stop Adonis from beginning to insult her and to treat her like dirt, but of course Meg didn't care, she was so caught up in the attention she was getting that nothing mattered to her, but it was enough to make Hercules grow more suspicious about this Adonis fellow.

There was one time during gym class, all the boys were part-taking in a friend game of soccer, the heat of the sun boring into the skins, salty clear liquid pouring out of them from running up and down the field, chasing and kicking around a ragged up old soccer ball, where the teenage boy overheard his best friend's so-called boyfriend, chatting to his friends all the crude and hurtful words that he was describing about his girlfriend. From hearing him say that she was "worthless" to "it's not there for me anymore" was enough to make Hercules's blood boil instantly, storming out of the gym and immediately confronting his best friend, pulling her out of the crowd of a group of chatty preppy girls. Finally the two were alone together outside the school, with the stubborn teenage girl tearing her arm out of his grasp.

"What was that for?" The teenage girl demanded bitterly, her piercing glare boring onto the teenage boy.

"Your boyfriend is pig. H-he….he doesn't love you!" The teenage boy blurted, which was enough to make Meg appalled, her jaw dropping to the ground and her big violet eyes literally popping out of its sockets.

"How can you say that about my boyfriend? He does love me!" The teenage girl yelled, her voice slowly beginning to rise, clenching her fists at her sides.

"Meg, I'm your best friend! I overheard him talking to his friends in gym class today. He said that you're worthless and he doesn't love you!" The teenage boy shouted, causing every person's head to whip around at the sudden yelling that practically rang throughout the town.

"Hercules, he's my boyfriend! I love him and he loves me! That is never going to change!" Meg was now shouting. Upon hearing this, the teenage boy clenched his fists at his sides, drawing blood from his hands, gritting his teeth, his veins literally about to pop out of his skin.

"Oh yeah, if you believe he really loves you, then you should just be with him and forget about me! How can you choose him over me, your best friend?" Hercules demanded. "What happened to that promise we made? We promised each other that we would never let anything or anyone come between us!" The teenage boy shouted at the top of his lungs. At this point, fresh salty tears began to spill down the teenage girl's pale cheeks, tears of hurt and frustration.

"He loves me! And guess what, things change, including that promise we made. If you're going to act like such a selfish and lousy friend….then maybe we shouldn't be friends anymore!" The teenage girl shouted, every one of her words cut like a sharp knife, seeping with acid. The teenage boy slowly began to calm down, unclenching his fists, his face softening, full of hurt and pain, feeling as if he had just been stabbed deep in the gut. The two teenagers kept their gazes locked on each other, the teenage girl still glaring.

"Fine…then we aren't friends anymore….goodbye Meg" The teenage boy said sadly, a few tears escaping his eyes as he turned and stomped away, leaving the stunned teenage girl staring after her now former friend, tears still cascading down her face.

Five years had passed and the now young woman had never heard from or had even seen or spoken to Hercules ever again. The thoughts of him was enough to cause tears to spill silently and slowly down her cheeks, crouching her body down in a dark nearby corner, hugging her knees to her chest as she silently began to sob. Meg had to admit, it was a lot different not having Hercules around anymore. All she knew is that she missed him dearly. He was the only person that truly cared about her, the person she could trust with all her secrets, the person she could go to for advice and help and the person to just be there for her when she desperately needed someone. As of today, she deeply regretted letting him go because one things for sure that she will admit, he was right. He had been right all along about her so-called boyfriend, Adonis.

If it was one thing for sure, as of two years ago, she would not be the same girl she was back then. Two years ago, it was then when the young woman discovered the truth about Adonis, slowly beginning to see him for his true colours, the man he really was. It was every woman's destiny to find the man of her dreams, the kind of man that treated you like a princess, shower you with gifts, take you out for romantic dinners and love you unconditionally. However, that was not the case for Meg. For Meg, it was rather the opposite. Being exposed to the man she loved for five years, who would constantly call her "fat", tell her that she needs to "lose some weight", label her as a "worthless little skank" and constantly striking the poor young woman with his super strong hands, causing her arms to turn black and purple, along with an almost broken rib cage because of how she wasn't losing any weight, was enough to lead her to serious mental disorder.

To have a daughter, who is currently suffering from Bulimia Nervosa was enough to cause heartbreak and extreme emotional pain. Meg would do everything in her power to take Adonis's words, letting his harsh and bitter words seep into her and to convince her that she really was fat. Constantly checking her reflection in the stained glass mirror to see if she's lost any weight or at least slimmed down somewhat, but nothing changed. Later, not being able to take more of this verbal abuse ended up leading her to forcing herself to purge.

Of course, there has never been a day where the poor young woman would sneak off to the washroom after every meal, lock the door shut, stick her fingers in her mouth and deep down her throat to bring back up the large amount of food that she had consumed, which always leaves her growing weaker and weaker by the minute and causing a serious throat infection, her glands swollen like balloons. But still when she would gaze at body in the mirror, nothing changed, which resulted in her continuously forcing herself to purge, every day and night. Having her mother awake to the sound of hearing her daughter retching in the middle of the night, rushing to her aid and gently rubbing her back was enough to bring tears to her mother's eyes and fear to her father.

Having to deal with the fact that their poor daughter is currently suffering from a serious eating disorder, Bulimia was not something that family could handle, due to their feeling pain and emotional. The young woman's parents could never figure out why all of a sudden their daughter had become so body conscious, but then it hit them. They assumed that it was due to her insecurity issues, possibly from seeing the sight of other Grecian women roaming the streets with their slim, model figures; however, that wasn't the case. Meg could never admit to her parents that this was all because of Adonis, but of course, the young woman was very in denial about this whole situation, claiming to her parents that she is completely fine and that she does not have a problem whatsoever. But silently, having to hear Adonis's harsh words echoing through her head was enough to bring back worrying about her body.

Dealing with this was extremely tough on the family, as much as they wanted to help and cure their daughter; they knew deep down that something has to be done, and fast.

A deep sigh escaped through Meg's lips as she slowly wiped her tears, lifted herself up off the ground, smoothed out her long purple dress from the dirt and slowly made her way back to her little cottage, the place she called home.

0-0-0

As soon as Meg arrived home, the instant smell of warm pita and soup tickled her nose as she slowly made her way through the little cottage, her bare feet padding against the cold hardwood floor, finding her way to the kitchen where her eyes landed on the familiar figure that she felt so secure with, her mother. The older woman noticed her daughter standing in the kitchen doorway, a soft smile spread across her face with a hint of worry and apologetic.

"Dinner is almost ready dear, are you hungry?" The older woman asked gently. Meg nodded, smiling warmly at her mother.

"Are you sure?" The older woman asked worriedly. The younger woman nodded again, still standing in the kitchen doorway.

"Alright dear, your father will be home very soon, so we shall eat when he comes" The older woman said. At the sight of seeing her daughter, the older woman couldn't help but sigh sadly and feel sympathy towards her daughter. Upon sensing somewhat of tension, Meg couldn't help but furrow her brow in confusion.

"Are you alright, mom?" The younger woman asked her mother innocently. The older woman sighed deeply and shook her head.

"No dear, it's nothing, I'll let you know when dinner is ready" The older woman said gently. Meg just stood there, leaning her body against the door frame for a couple minutes longer, but then made her exit.

A few hours later, Meg's father had finally returned home after working a hard day in ploughing in the fields in the hot, humid son. The family of three all claimed their seats at the table and began to feast on their meal, with the younger woman continuously forcefully gorging herself violently with pita and soup, already forcing down her fourth plate of food viciously like an angry lioness hunting for her food, with both her parents worried eyes boring onto their daughter, knowing exactly what she was going to do with the food afterwards. Meg gorged and gorged until her belly was full, about to burst, her stomach complaining to her that she could no longer fit any more food in her stomach.

"Meg sweetie, you don't have to continuously stuff your face every time you eat" The older woman told her daughter gently, but she refused to listen.

"I'm fine, mom." Meg muttered stubbornly. "Um….may I be excused from the dinner table?" Meg asked innocently. Immediately, the older woman and her husband exchanged worried glances with one another, fear washing over them, but the older woman turned her attention back to her daughter.

"Um…yes you may dear" The older woman said gently. Instantly, the younger woman jumped up from her seat and quickly made her way through the cottage, her eyes finally landing on the washroom as she quickly slipped inside, shut the door softly and locked it. She took a deep breath, slowly bent down towards the toilet while lifting the seat up gently, tears escaping from her eyes and rolling down her cheeks as she opened her mouth wide, stuck her two small fingers deep down her throat, and instantly the food was brought back up in liquid chunks. But that wasn't it, Meg continued to purge and purge, until all that came out of her mouth was red dark liquid, blood, reflected in the dirty water. Finally, she flushed the toilet, crouched into the corner and hugged her knees tightly close to her chest, slowly rocking bath and forth, sobbing silently. Little did she know that both her parents were standing right outside the bathroom door, their ears pressed lightly against the cold hardwood door, tears spilling down the older woman's cheeks as she embraced her husband tightly, the two of them sobbing silently.

0-0-0

It was early in the afternoon, the bright sun spilling through the violet curtains in the young woman's room. She slowly lifted her eyelids open, fluttering open softly as she slowly lifted her body up from the bed, stretching every muscle in her body. She hadn't noticed that she had overslept, usually her parents would wake her but surprisingly, they didn't. Confused, Meg swung her legs over her bed, lifted her up and headed straight to the basin to wash up, still remaining in her white, silky night Grecian chiton. It wasn't anything fancy, just a silk smooth gown that fit around her curvy body perfectly.

After washing up, Meg slowly began to make her way to the kitchen when all of a sudden, the sight of seeing her family, including her boyfriend, Adonis all gathered in the living room caught her by surprise, a confused yet worried look was plastered on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest, realizing that this was no joking matter, this indeed was a serious family intervention, demanding an answer.

"W-what's going on here….?" The young woman demanded, her voice shaking but careful not to make it obvious to anyone that she was indeed nervous as to where this intervention was going. The older woman gazed at her daughter worriedly, sympathy filling in her eyes as she gently lifted her body up off the tiny sofa, slowly came towards her daughter, embraced her tightly, wrapping her arms around her as she placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head, her fingers gently rubbing her back softly and protectively. Grasping her delicate hand with her daughter's fragile hand, the older woman slowly guided her daughter toward the living room, making some space for her to sit on the old sofa, the springs squeaking loudly and complaining under them. Awkward silence filled the air, but Meg was the first to break the silence.

"W-what is this? What is happening?" The younger woman asked desperately, turning her body to face her mother, demanded an answer. The older woman opened her mouth, but no sound was coming out as she was desperately searching for the right words. Instantly, she closed her mouth shut and buried her face in her hands. Despite seeing his wife struggling with her words, the older man intervened.

"Meg, your mother and I have been doing a lot of thinking lately, and we both came to the conclusion that we think it's best if we…..send you away to get some help with your problems" The older man explained to his daughter. Hearing this immediately made the younger woman's heart race faster inside her chest, breathing heavily as her mouth was hanging wide open in shock, shaking her head.

"No! No! I told you already that I'm fine, I don't have a problem!" Meg desperately yelled as she shot up from the sofa. The older woman desperately looked up at her daughter.

"Sweetie, you have a serious problem and we think that it's best for you to get yourself the help you need" The older woman explained gently and calmly, slowly rising from the sofa, her hands reaching out to grab her daughter's hands, only to have her tear them away.

"I'm telling you I don't need help! I'm fine! I don't need to go anywhere!" At this point, Meg was yelling, clenching her fists to her sides tightly, drawing blood from her knuckles.

"Meg, you don't have a choice. You need to start taking better care of yourself and the best way to do that is for you to get help. You're going whether you like it or not" The older man said sternly, rising up from the couch.

"Sweetie, you're getting too skinny! For the past two years, you've been forcing yourself to throw up after you eat and it's not healthy for you!" The older woman explained desperately. At this point, tears began to spill down Meg's cheeks, begging and pleading, however it was tears of anger and frustration.

"I'm not going! I'm not going anywhere" The young woman insisted bitterly, tears still spilling down her cheeks. At this point, it was Adonis's turn to intervene, trying to help the couple out.

"Babe listen, this will be a perfect opportunity for you to get the help you need. You should just go, go for you, go for your family and most importantly, go for _me_" Adonis insisted gently, with a reassuring smile on his face. Seeing his smile was enough to the young woman soften up a bit, but at the same time, she knew deep down that he didn't want her to go, but it's the least he could to do to help her parents convince her to go, far away from home, far away from the familiar place that she knew so well. Worry and fear washed over Meg's face, as the tears soon began to dry up, wiping her tears from her eyes, her lips quivering desperately, standing still in the exact same spot, and not making the slightest bit of eye contact with anyone, especially Adonis. It was clear that her parents couldn't deal with her anymore. More silence filled the air, until the older woman broke the silence.

"Sweetie, give him one last hug for the road. He's done everything he could to help you, give him one last hug" The older woman begged her daughter. At first, the younger woman was too stubborn to even touch her boyfriend, but much to her surprise, she was suddenly caught in a pair of strong arms wrapped tightly around her waist, slowly raising her arms and wrapping them around his neck, clutching to him desperately, not wanting to leave him, wanting to feel his touch, but all that came crumbling down when all of sudden, Adonis's hot breath on her skin, leaned down to whisper something in her ear that she would never forget.

"We're through, done. I hope you enjoy getting cleaned up you fat little skank" At this point and upon hearing this, was really enough to trigger the young woman's emotions, as she pulled back out of his arms and desperately clutched his shirt, gripping onto the fabric ever so tightly.

"No! Please no! Adonis, please don't do this to me! I'm begging you, please don't do this to me! Please!" Meg begged her boyfriend desperately, screaming with more tears cascading down her cheeks, her hands still clutching his shirt. Upon witnessing this, the older woman gently peeled her daughter away from Adonis as she wrapped her arms around her protectively and held her back.

"Adonis, I think you should go. It's obvious she doesn't want to go, but thanks for trying" The older man said to Adonis as he placed a warm hand on his shoulder, thanking him. The younger man flashed his brilliant white smile and with that, he slowly made his way out of their house, a devilish grin spread across his face, taunting the now crying and devastated younger woman, who was fighting in her mother's arms to rip free, but her mother was much too strong to let her go. At this point, the younger woman fell to the ground with her mother's protective arms still wrapped around her daughter, gently rocking her back and forth, tears spilling down her cheeks as she whispered soothing words to her.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Meg begged her parents desperately. The older woman sighed deeply as she too was sobbing, cupping her daughter's face in her hands.

"I promise you, you will get the help that you need. I love you so much and I just want what's best for you" The older woman explained sadly, continuing to rock her daughter in her arms, just like how she used to when the young woman was a little girl. Seeing this, the older man knelt down towards his wife and his daughter sympathetically, gently grasping her knee and rubbing it through the silk fabric.

"Everything will be fine dear, but you have to leave first thing tomorrow morning" The older man explained gently, enough to make the young woman sob even harder, the family of three crouched together in a corner.

As of tomorrow, twenty-one year old Megara would be shipped off to a mental hospital, away from home where she felt safe and secure. How could her family do this to her? How could they think she has a problem? And more importantly, how could Adonis, her boyfriend of five years just all of a sudden break up with her? Is it true that she was that fat, worthless and not….beautiful at all? How could everyone she loved betray her like this? It all began to make sense to her as of now.

Everyone she loved dearly had all abandoned and turned their backs on her. Her nightmare was not over yet. It was just beginning.

**What did you guys think? Like it? Love it? Hate it? Anyways, next chapter features Jane. Don't forget to R&R!**


	3. Jane: May 8th

**Chapter 3: Jane, May 8****th**

_It was the middle of the night in the large town of England, brutal and rainy. All that could be hear were the sounds of the rain drops that came pouring down from the now dark sky, splattering and slithering on the cold pavement ground, the sound of the water slowing in a tiny stream soothingly, big blobs on raindrops sticking to the glass window and gently slithering its way down. Every single person in England were all currently sound asleep in their warm cozy little homes, with nothing, not even a single splash of rain daring to awaken them from their peaceful sleep. Well, except for the rambunctious teenagers, who were out enjoying a few drinks of rum and beer, their loud rambunctious drunken voices rang throughout the entire town, but still, no person did anything to shut them up. Every person were either sound asleep, or drunken to the point where they're stumbling over their own two feet, completely unaware of anything, except for one young woman in particular._

_Twenty-two year old Jane Porter, was currently wide awake, her blue eyes staring blankly into the dark cold rainy night through the stained glass window, concentrating on the delicate little raindrops, pouring splat down her window. A deep sigh escaped from her mouth. It was always like this for the young woman, not being able to sleep, often waking up in the middle of the night worried, sad and scared. This never used to be like this for her when she was living with her father, she was always known as the happy carefree young woman who loved to socialize with everyone else, but after one year, that all changed. The young woman was currently lying in bed with her now husband, Clayton, her naked body hidden deeply underneath the white satin sheets with her husband snoring loudly next to her, causing the young woman to sigh in frustration as she turned her exposed body away from him, burying her head deeply into the soft white puffy pillows, tears beginning to silently spill down her slightly chubby cheeks._

_It wasn't long until she felt a pair of strong hands making their way down her bare back, causing her to shiver in fright, the man wrapping his strong hands around her, trapping her with no way to escape, feeling his lips pulling into a devilish grin as she felt his hot breath on her skin, running down her neck, her whole body beginning to tremble as she did her best to squirm out of his arms, but it was no use._

"_You can't escape from me, Jane. We're married, therefore I own you, you belong to me and you will do what I say, whenever I want it" The man said smugly into the young woman's ear. Again, she desperately tried to release his strong grip from around her tiny waist, but that only resulted in him squeezing his grip tighter, now it was even impossible for her to escape, but that didn't stop her from attempting to get out of his grasp, struggling desperately._

"_Clayton, let go of me please" Jane begged, grunting helplessly, which was enough to cause a wicked laugh to erupt from the man's throat, as he climbed on top of her, pressing his naked body against hers, pinning her arms above her head as she continuously squirmed underneath him, grunting and groaning, tears spilling down her cheeks. Seeing her tears, Clayton took that as opportunity to lick his tongue against her soft neck roughly, biting her shoulders and kissing her neck roughly while his hands travelled down her body, causing the young woman to whimper in agony and pain._

"_Clayton, get off me!" The young woman screamed at the top of her lungs, which only resulted in the man laughing devilishly, grinning down at her, the fright in and pain written all over her face was enough to make the man proud that he now had lifelong power and control over a person so innocent and gentle. With that, the man thrust himself inside her, forcing more tears to cascade down the young woman's face._

"_You're mine now, get used to it. This is your life now, and there's nothing you can do about it" The man spat as he leaned down and roughly claimed her lips with his, thrusting himself inside her deeply, enough to cause pain and possibly blood, tears cascading down her cheeks just as much as the rain was pouring down from the sky._

"_Get off me!" Jane screamed, only to have the man brutally whip his strong hand across her face, leaving a large red hand print on her cheek._

"_Shut up you worthless little bitch!" Clayton screamed. To her, it felt like rape, which the horrible man whom she called he husband, continued to do over and over and over..._

Twenty-two year old Jane Porter shot straight up from her bed, her eyes widening in terror, the thought of waking up in her yellow coloured room instantly calmed her down, but her whole body was still trembling and shaking, her heart racing and beating violently from inside her chest, panting heavily as she desperately clung to her blankets and pulled them tightly to her chest, rocking back and forth, the soothing sound of the continuous pouring rain outside slowly calming her down _"It was only a dream, a scary nightmare" _She told herself calmly. This was not the first time that Jane had had chronic nightmares about her being married to such a pig, a pig that was known as Clayton. Although this was only a nightmare the young woman was having, in reality which would be in a few months, she would be married to Clayton.

About one year ago, Jane's father decided to put together an arranged marriage for her and Clayton. Of course, the young woman was very sceptical about this whole arrangement, but that didn't stop her father from already settling an agreement and most importantly, a solid promise to Clayton that he would have permission to marry Professor Porter's daughter. Of course, the man only agreed to marry his daughter because for starters, Professor Porter was a very rich man, which meant that Clayton would inherit most of his money and second, Clayton was a pig and he only wanted the young woman for sexual purposes and of course to have control and domination over her, which Jane could not stand or take from such a disgusting man like him. The thought of being married to Clayton-which would be in about two months-immediately, haunted the young woman. Already, Jane felt as though she was trapped, surrounded, not able to use her voice and speak up for herself.

The young woman sucked in a deep breath air as she quickly jumped out of her bed and quickly made her way to the washroom, which was attached inside her room. The young woman took a good look at her reflection in the stained glass mirror; her usually rosy red cheeks had now gone pale white, almost ghost like and sunken, her long silky brown hair was tied up into a messy bun and her ocean blue eyes filled with sleepiness. Of course for the past year, she hasn't gotten much sleep lately, and most of it had to do with the fact that her father was marrying her off to such a lousy man, throwing her out of the house completely, out of his life.

Ever since Jane was a little girl and her mother passed away at the age of five years old, her father has always been explaining to her why marriage is so important in life, how she should be married at the early age of twenty, how important it is to be a good wife to her husband and most importantly, to listen to and to do what he says, be respectful. Of course with Jane being so young and naïve at such a young age, she would immediately obey her father's orders and wishes, until she hit the age of sixteen, where she politely confronted her father about marriage at such a young age, explaining to him gently how she was not ready to be married off to a strange man so young and to have to take such great responsibilities as wife, but to this day, that did not stop Professor Porter from arranging a marriage between his daughter and this so-called husband to be of hers, Clayton.

But one thing that changed completely over the past year, the young woman had been acting strangely different, which her father slowly began to notice. The young woman suddenly and quickly began to change from her happy, carefree, laid back and relaxed self to this sudden extreme 'clean freak'. There wasn't a day where the young woman wouldn't constantly wash and scrub her hands about twenty times a day, or constantly having to rush back inside the house to check if everything was safe and secure about six times in the next two to three minutes and not to mention, having a great fear that something or anything incredibly horrible will happen to her or to someone else she loved and held onto dearly. All of these little changes in his daughter's behaviour, Professor Porter knew what was happening to her, but instead he decided to keep that hidden from her, for he thought that the only reason why she's suddenly beginning to act like this was probably because she's extremely nervous at the thought of being married, being stuck to someone for the rest of her life.

Another deep and nervous sigh escaped from Jane's bright pink lips as she twisted the cold silver knob with her warm hand and instantly, warm water began to pour out of the tap, the rushing sound of the tap water was calming to her ears as she put her two hands under the tap, scooping up the clearly liquid and splashing it on her face, the warm water instantly beginning to relax her muscles and seep through her sunken cheeks and her warm flesh. The young woman rinsed and rinsed her face repeatedly over again to make sure that all the sleep had been poured out of her system and escaped into the water. After she was done, her hand grasped the soft puffy towel and pressed it to her skin, wiping away the little strands of water drops that still remained glued to her skin, her blue eyes peeking over the towel and staring right at her reflection into the glass mirror, her ghost-like sunken cheeks had now been transformed back to their usual rosy red colour, her ocean blue eyes looking pure and clean as ever from the sleepiness.

After quickly brushing and scrubbing her already perfect, pearly white teeth, the young woman quickly found her way back inside her bedroom, opening her closet to reveal her favourite dresses as her hand grasped her favourite ever green solid coloured cotton dress that stopped just above her ankles, throwing it on over her head and smoothing out the wrinkles as the dress hugged her slim body perfectly; as she slowly took out her hair out of its messy bun, letting her long soft silky brown hair fall down her back, reaching just above her bra line, slowly picked up the bristled brush and gently ran it through her tangle free hair. She decided not to put on any make-up as usually she does, instead deciding to be make-up free, all natural. With that, she took one glance at herself in the glass mirror, staring at her reflection for a good five to ten minutes, as she sucked in a deep breath and slowly began to make her way to the door, her warm hand grasping the cold golden knob as she twisted it open and slipped outside of her bedroom and began to make her way slowly and quietly down the stairs.

0-0-0

Once Jane stepped took her last step and landed right on the hardwood floor, she slowly began to quietly make her way to the kitchen, her delicate feet padding against the polished hardwood floor, but that didn't stop the sudden loud high pitched squeak that erupted from underneath her feet, the floor squeaking with every step she took until she finally found her way into the dim coloured kitchen, her eyes expecting to find her father, which they did but surprised at the same time to see that Clayton was there also, the two men chatting amongst themselves, completely oblivious to the fact that Jane had entered the kitchen, but she didn't mind, she actually preferred it that way.

The young woman quietly entered the kitchen, heading straight to the cupboard to claim her favourite solid marble teacup, the one that was decorated with pink and yellow little flowers all around it, as she put the filled the white solid coloured white teapot with water and put the kettle to boil. It wasn't long until Professor Porter heard the cupboard door opening and closing and the sound of the water running which meant that his daughter was wide awake and was as usual, preparing some delicious Red Rose tea. He adjusted his body around in the seat so that he could he turn and get a better look at the young woman, his mouth tilting into a soft smile as did Clayton, leaning his weight and his head peeking over the older man to get a better 'look' at his wife to be, grinning devilishly. Before Clayton could a get word in, Professor Porter beat him to it.

"Good morning, dear" The older man said softly, smiling. The younger woman slowly turned her whole body around and smiled warmly at her father, completely ignoring Clayton's disgusting devilish stare.

"Morning daddy, would you like some tea?" The younger woman asked her father politely, but subtly her voice was shaken, shaken at the thought of seeing that man in her house, the man that she would be married to in less than three months, the man who she's forced to spend the rest of her life with, forever. The thought only caused her fingers to slowly beginning trembling around her teacup, jiggling and jittering in her soft dainty hands. Of course, Professor Porter was too oblivious to notice this, the sight of seeing her fingers and her hands suddenly trembling was enough to make him silently grow anxious, as he secretly wished that Clayton would not notice, but thankfully he didn't, his mind was too preoccupied with something else. Nervously, the older man cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Yes dear I would like that. And while you're at it, throw a cup in for Clayton as well" The older man added in at the end. Upon hearing the mention of that man's name, was enough to make the younger woman silently inhale a deep breath of air, lips pressed together firmly as she nodded and quickly turned and focused her attention back the now screaming kettle, signalling that the water was finished heating up and was ready to be served. The young woman quickly threw in three little tea bags into each cup, poured the boiling hot water inside with the steam erupting and flowing out of the little cups, mixed it with cold skim milk and sugar, and quickly began to stir the tea, desperately wanting to finish this as quickly as possible and not wanting to have to feel Clayton's 'stare' slowly creeping up her spine, causing her to shiver at the thought and feel of it.

The young woman placed the three cups of tea on a tray and slowly made her way to the kitchen table, gently placing the tray in the middle of the table as the three of each claimed their cups and began to sip their hot steaming drinks. With that, both Professor Porter and Clayton started back into their usual conversation that was innocently interrupted by Jane, the two men gossiping like young high girls, but the young woman remained silent the whole time, not saying a word or not making the slightest move, her blue eyes just staring into the caramel coloured liquid inside her cup, her reflection staring back at her. At the same time, she couldn't help but suddenly feel Clayton's eyes focusing on her as he was continuously chatting with the older man, his gaze boring into her, which was enough to cause small goose bumps to slowly rise from her skin, the inconspicuous tiny hairs on her arms instantly poking up as a cool chill ran up and down her spine, causing her hands to desperately grasp around her hot marble tea cup, her whole body silently beginning to tremble and shake.

After a few minutes, the chatting began to die down as the sound of the older man's wooded chair loudly pulled out from the table, standing up and clearing his throat, which nearly startled the young woman as her head shot up and her eyes landed on her now standing father.

"Dear, I'm just going to run to the grocery store for a bit. Clayton will keep you company, so I should be back in half an hour or so" The older man said as he began to gather his bag from the ground and grabbed his leather jacket that was hanging behind the chair. The older man leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his daughter's forehead, promising her that he would be back as soon as possible. He gave Clayton a firm yet fatherly hand shake and with that, he made his way out of the kitchen, the sound his big boots stomping against the hardwood floor and slipped outside the door, closing it shut and locking it. With that, Jane quickly shot up from the kitchen table, collected all the teacups and placed them on the tray gently, organizing them in their exact same places and in the exact same order as it was before, as she shuffled her feet against the cold floor and made her way to kitchen sink to wash up the cups. As soon as her hands found the tap and switched it on so that the water was running smoothly, all of a sudden she heard the wooden chair shuffling from the table and the next thing she knew, she was trapped in a pair of two strong arms, arms that of course belonged to none other, Clayton.

"Now that your father is gone…..why don't we have a little….._fun _together my dearest wife to be" Clayton's smug voice whispering into her ear, his hot breath on her skin which automatically brought even more shivers down her spine. The young woman tried squirmed and struggled as best as she could to get out the man's strong grip, but it was no use, he was just too strong for that, which he responded by gripping onto her waist tighter.

"Come on babe, there's no need to get scared, loosen up a little bit…" The man said smugly again, forcing his lips onto her neck and trailing down the rest of the way, licking her sensitive skin with his saliva covered tongue all the way down to her collar bone, which made the poor young woman grunt and groan as she tried her best to elbow him in the ribs, but still, nothing worked.

"Clayton, let go of me!" The young woman screamed loudly at the top of her lungs, only to have the man whip her around viciously so that she was facing him completely as he pinned her against the kitchen count and forced her legs to wrap around his waist, with Jane pushing against his chest, punching, kicking and screaming.

"Get off me! Put me down!" The young woman screamed again, with tears pooling in her eyes and spilling down her cheeks, which only resulted in evil laughter erupting from Clayton's throat and this time, he forced his hand down the top of her dress as his other hand found its way in her dress, forcing itself up higher and higher, which made the young woman cry out in terror.

"Hold still you little bitch!" The cruel man said through his gritted teeth. At this point, the young woman out of the blue, balled her up delicate little fist as she strikes a hard blow right in the man's nose, possibly breaking it as he howled and screamed in anguish pain, loosening his grip from around the young woman as fresh blood began to pour out of his now broken nose, the dark red liquid pouring down onto the ground as it flooded and streamed its way all over the marble floor, the man falling to his knees desperately as this gave Jane a great chance to escape from this brutal man. With that, the young woman dashed past Clayton, swung open the front door with such force which caused the delicate little breakable objects to fall and crash to the floor, the glass splattering against the hardwood floor as the young woman flew out the front door and began running down the not so crowded streets of England, her bare feet padding against the cold damp pavement, as she continued to run and run and run, never once looking back, running even more until all the little houses and the city itself was well behind her, disappearing with each gigantic step she took, her feet and the rest of her body finding its way into the foggy damp forest, her feet sinking into the dirty water mud with every step she took, panting heavily as she was almost out of breath, the oxygen over filling her lungs, which were burning inside of her, the sudden pain that coursed through her thighs, calves and feet crying out to her to stop, to give them a break, but she didn't, she ignored it and continued running for her life.

Once she felt as though she was far away from everything and everyone, more tears escaped from the young woman's ocean blue eyes, tears of humiliation, tears of pain and tears of regret. After experiencing what Clayton had done to her back at the house, in her _own _house was enough to cause her to cry heavily, hiccupping violently. _"This was the man that I'm going to be married to? This is the man that my father had set me up with?"_ The young woman asked herself desperately. How could her father marry her off to such a disgusting man like Clayton? What is it about Clayton that he's fond of? As much as Jane hated the fact of doing the right thing and finding her way back to her house, the place that was so precious to her, she knew she had to, but at the same time, she couldn't. The young woman couldn't stand to be near that horrible man, heck she couldn't even stand to look at him.

"_Maybe I should go back, I mean what if daddy gets back and he realizes I'm not there? What if Clayton becomes so furious with me that he followed me, or more importantly, what if he tries to harm me again just like he did back in the house?" _Jane asked herself desperately, more tears spilling down her cheeks as she continuously and repeatedly asked herself these questions, quickly beginning to pace back and forth, breathing heavily and shaking at the thought of having to see Clayton's face and his smug grin again. Continuously, the young woman paced back and forth, to her right, to her left, to the opposite side which led her to literally walking around in circles all in one spot.

"What am I going to do? Daddy will be so mad and disappointed in me! Clayton will be furious with me!" The young woman yelled, her shaking voice echoing throughout the foggy, lonesome woods. It wasn't long until the young woman began to hallucinate, her breathing growing rapidly, her beat violently against her chest, all those thoughts racing through her head, jumbled all together and overflowing through her mind, as she slowly began to lean her body against a large gigantic tree, the feel of the damp mousse from the tree tickling underneath her warm hand, her other hand grasping onto her chest protectively, preventing her heart from exploding. But suddenly and without hesitation, the young woman jerked her whole body off from the tree, a loud high pitched shriek erupting from inside her throat as she quickly began to circle around, her eyes wandering in every direction, her breathing quickening, her pulse racing so violently as her whole began to tremble and shake. Not realizing, her hand rested against another a tree trunk, which again caused her to shriek and scream as she dug her nails right through her scalp. "What is happening? What is happening to me?" The young woman screamed, her yelp echoing through the forest, causing all the birds to immediately fly from their nests, the sound of their wings flapping viciously. The young woman instantly grabbed hold of her chest, her eyes scanning over the woods, frightened, in terror, almost as if she suddenly had a great fear of being….contaminated from the dirt and the germs in the forest? Without a doubt, Jane suddenly and slowly dropped herself to the ground and curled up in tight ball, in a fetal position, hugging her knees tightly to her chest and squeezing her eyes shut, her whole body beginning to tremble and shake violently. Suddenly and instantly, the young woman snapped her eyes open, wide in terror as she jumped up from the damp muddy ground, screaming at the top of her lungs as she quickly began to wipe all the dirt from her dress which resulted into her hitting herself violently.

"Ah! Get it off me! Get it off me!" Jane screamed at the top of her lungs, running and speeding around in circles. At this point, she was frightened as she tried her hardest to find a safe and secure germ-free place to hide in, but it was no use. Every time her body came in contact with a simple tree, a leaf, or even a drop of rain, the sudden fear kicked and once again, the screaming erupted from her throat, which at this point, she was unable to calm herself down as she was mentally and physically going completely insane, trying her hardest to find some sort of escape, and once again, those same thoughts of her father and Clayton flooded through her mind, her whole body shaking violently, her fingers and hands trembling.

"What is happening to me?" The young woman screamed again as she continuously ran around in circles, screaming and shrieking in terror.

0-0-0

"Jane! Jane dear, where are you?" The older man's voice cried out desperately, searching for his daughter, with Clayton right on his tracks, carrying his loaded gun on his back as the two men finally made their way into the damp forest, both unsure and confused as if Jane were to even step foot inside. The sound of their heavy boots sinking deep into the mud with every step they took, with the pouring of the rain beginning to pick up again.

"Jane! Where are you? It's okay, daddy and Clayton are here!" Professor Porter called out again, desperate to hear the familiar sound of his daughter's voice again, but still, nothing, not a subtle sound escaped from the woods. A deep and worried sigh escaped from the older man's mouth as he growing even more and more worried at the thought of never finding his daughter again, but at the same time, he was beginning to think that something awful might have happened to her, the same thing that he feared that his poor daughter would soon find out about.

After a few minutes of continuously searching for any sign of the young woman, there was no luck, nothing, which was enough to cause Clayton to grow even more irritated and angrier by the minute, already wanting to get his hands on her the minute they found her. The two men continued walking through the woods when all of a sudden, a sudden sound caught both their attention. At first, they were sure it sounded like a dying female crow was in pain but as they listened closer, both their ears perked up, the older man's big eyes widened, popping out their sockets as he realized exactly what the sound was, the sound belonged to his daughter, Jane, the sound of her high pitched scream was enough to make him clench his knuckles, gritting his teeth as a frown appeared on his face as he whipped his head around to look at Clayton as he gave him the nod, which meant loading his gun and getting it prepared, prepared to instantly begin shooting at the perp who they supposedly thought was harming the poor young woman.

With that, the two men began running, fighting and pushing their way through the branches of the trees, the long pointy wooden needles of the branches piercing deep into their flesh, but that didn't stop them in attempt to rescue the young woman. Finally once the men realized that they were getting close and closer towards Jane's screaming, they stop suddenly, both their eyes widening in horror as they both fixed their gazes on the terrified young woman who was continuously running around in circles, hitting herself but really, she was trying to get the dirt or any kind of contaminated chemical off of her, for her fear was growing rapidly. Upon witnessing this, the older man's face softened ever slowly, tears beginning to pool inside of his eyes as his heart shattered at the sight of seeing his daughter, so terrified, slowly beginning to realize that what he has been hiding and keeping a secret from her for so long was beginning to kick in.

"Jane….dear…." The older man called gently to get his daughter's attention, slowly making his way towards her and holding his hands out. With that, suddenly the young began to calm down, her screaming dying down as she stopped right in her tracks, whipping her whole body around to face her father, worry and fear filling her eyes, her hair was damp and clung to her the tops of her shoulders, her green dress was now covered in splotches of damp mud, her hands and fingers still trembling. Professor Porter continued to slowly make his way towards his daughter, careful not to startle her even more than she already was.

"Dear it's alright, daddy and Clayton are here, you don't have to be afraid.." The older man said gently, still taking tentative steps towards her, but the younger woman kept still, not moving, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Daddy…..what is happening to me….?" The younger woman asked desperately, her voice had gone completely hoarse from all the screaming.

"It's okay darling….daddy's here….daddy's going to take you home with Clayton" Professor Porter said gently, holding his hands out as he was inching closer and closer towards the young woman, which was enough to startle her.

"No! Daddy don't come near me! Don't come near me! I don't want to hurt you!" Jane screamed yelled desperately, holding her shaky hands out to prevent her father from coming near her. "Stay back daddy! Go back!" She yelled and cried again, her whole body continuously trembling and shaking, but of course, the older man was not obeying his daughter's orders, which was enough to make Clayton step in.

"Jane, stop this! Stop acting like this this instant and behave!" Clayton shouted angrily, which was enough to trigger the young woman's emotions.

"NO! I DON'T WANT TO HURT HIM!" The young woman screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Jane dear, relax, you won't hurt me. Now come with me…." The older man said gently as he was close enough to reach his daughter, his fragile old wrinkly hands gently grasping her shoulders, which was a big mistake as this immediately startled the young woman viciously.

"DADDY, DON'T TOUCH ME!" The young woman screamed as she violently pushed her father away from her, causing the old man to stumble back on his own two feet, his arms flailing in the air but Clayton was quick to catch him before he fell back and landed on the ground, which would possibly make him crack his back. Upon seeing this, the younger woman's eye widened in terror as she slowly looked down at her shaking, trembling hands, realizing that she had almost caused harm to her father, which resulted in her breaking down in heavy tears.

"Daddy, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!" The young woman cried desperately, tears overflowing and spilling down her cheeks, as she viciously began to beat herself, slapping herself across the face multiple times and punching herself in the gut, all of this because the poor young woman had almost caused harm to her father, the man who she trusted, the man who protected her for all her life. Upon seeing Jane go all crazy, mentally and physically beating herself up, that's when it hit everyone, literally in the gut.

"DADDY, FORGIVE ME! I DIDN'T MEAN TO-" With that, the sudden sound of the gun roaring, shooting and echoing throughout the woods was enough to cause shock and surprise to Professor Porter, his eyes widening in terror. Clayton had loaded his gun and shot the young woman right in the arm, blood beginning to pour out of her flesh, flowing down her body and landing onto the damp mud where Jane had collapsed, her whole body gone into shock, her eyes closed, her body landing softly on the damp ground, unmoving, her brain going into unconsciousness.

0-0-0

The rain had settled down and slowly, the young woman's blue eyes softly fluttered open, her eyes scanning the scenery as she realized that was now in her yellow coloured room, the room where she felt safe and secure was sure to calm her down. Slowly, she began to lift herself up from the bed, only to have a sudden pain shooting through her left arm, causing the young woman to gasp and moan in pain, her eyes then landing on a white cotton material that was wrapped around her whole arm, confused of how that got there in the first place. As her eyes roamed around the room in search of her father and Clayton, she noticed that she was the only one her bedroom, with the door locked and all she could make out was the soft murmurs of familiar voices coming from Clayton and her father. But the sudden thought came back to her, the thought of her for acting the way she did in the forest, the fact that she was constantly screaming every time she touched something or the fact that she was continuously and randomly hitting herself. All this seemed so new, yet very unrealistic to her, it wasn't like her to act the way she did, but why did she? _"What happened back there? What was going on with me? Why was I acting rather…..crazy and insane?" _ She asked herself curiously, furrowing her brow at the memory and quickly shaking her head from those thoughts. Slowly and quietly, she got off the bed; tip toed her way to the door and pressed her ear against the cold hardwood door, listening to every single word that was being said from outside her bedroom door.

"I don't know what to do…..maybe I should send her off somewhere" Professor Porter's voice came from outside her bedroom door, which was enough to make the young woman gasp softly. _"Send me off to where? For what?"_ She asked herself again as she continued to listen.

"Not maybe, there are definitely no maybe's or but's. She has to go! She needs to get cleaned up! The woman practically broke my nose in the kitchen!" Clayton's voice yelled impatiently to the older man, which caused the young woman to scoff and roll her eyes in disgust. _"He deserved it! What a pig!" _She thought to herself again. This time, Jane heard her father sigh, a deep sigh, a sigh in regret and sadness.

"I should've known, keeping the fact that she's been suffering from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder a secret from her would only be a fool's way out of it" The older man confessed sadly. At this point and upon hearing this, the young woman gasped in shock, placing her hand desperately over her mouth, her eyes widening in terror and shock as fresh tears began to spill down her cheeks, sobbing silently, careful to make sure that the two men from behind the door couldn't hear her silently crying, hugging her knees tightly to her chest as she buried her head in arms.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? How could her father keep this a secret from her? How could he do this to her? Her father, the man that raised her, taught her well, protected her had betrayed her, keeping a secret as serious as this from her was enough to make her feel betrayed, not to mention a tiny bit of hatred towards him. How could her father have kept the fact that his daughter is currently suffering from OCD? And on top of that, both he and Clayton want to send her away, away from her home which was her sanctuary? Jane continued to sob silently as she heard Clayton's voice murmuring towards her father.

"You need to send her away this instant! Not just for her, but for _me_! How is a woman with this kind of disgusting mental disorder supposed to 'please' a man like me in bed?" Clayton's angry voice erupted from behind the door, which only made Jane cry and sob even harder. The older man sighed in defeat and finally, the last thing the young woman heard him say to the cruel man, was enough to make her whole world come crumbling down.

"I promise I will tell her about this as soon as possible, and I will definitely send her away to leave first thing tomorrow morning" Professor Porter has promised Clayton.

As of tomorrow, twenty-two year old Jane Porter will be on her way to a mental hospital, far away, away from her father, away from Clayton-which she deeply preferred and was somewhat relived of-and away from her dear precious home of England.

All her fears were soon to be fixed, but the thought of possibly having to come back to Clayton, was enough to bring her more nightmares, nightmares that were just about to begin.

**What did you guys think? Love it? Hate it? Anyways, I want to send out a special thanks to FanWriter2012 and of course my very good friend, supermashkingdom1999 for reviewing my story. It really means a lot guys! Next chapter features Esmeralda. Don't forget to R&R! **


	4. Esmeralda: May 9th

**Chapter 4: Esmeralda, May 9****th**

In the little tight squeezed room, twenty-three year old Esmeralda's emerald eyes popped open, wide in surprise as the sudden brightness of the florescent lights shined in front of her, feeling as if she was on some sort of ride as she felt her whole body moving quickly and smoothly throughout this strange, unfamiliar place, but the weird thing was the fact that she was not moving with her own two feet. Instead, her whole body was sprawled out on something very cushiony; her feet were the only objects in front of her that she could see. As her eyes continuously wandered in every single direction, the young woman suddenly noticed not one, but three other people around her, moving with her, all of them dressed in that same bright white jacket with blue satin small masks shielding their faces, pushing her, but on what? What was she on? It was then the young woman suddenly realized that she had been strapped on tight to a stretcher with that same familiar sound of the little wheels squeaking on the well-polished marble floor, the pressure of the straps almost sinking their way into her skin, causing dented marks on her dark skin to appear. After what appeared to be ten minutes, this to Esmeralda felt like forever, she felt a sudden bump, almost as if she had been smacked into a brick wall as the nurses finally kicked open the door to reveal a small, intimate little examining room, her breathing quickening as all she could see around her was nothing but the bright lights shining straight into her eyes, blinding her, preventing her from seeing anything that was going on, her eyes searching through the bright light for any sign of escape, but that would be impossible seeing as she's currently strapped down on the stretcher, preventing her from jumping off the stretcher to make a quick escape.

A sudden gasp escaped from her mouth as she felt three pairs of cold hands gently gripping around her arms as the three nurses gently levitated her above the ground by her arms, careful that she doesn't trip, her feet barely touching the cold ground, as a sudden wave of exhaustion washed over her, her breathing slowing down ever so slowly, her arms shaking and her whole body trembling, her feet dangling above just above the ground as the nurses did their best to guide her. To the young woman, everything had gone by in a blur, so much was happening and racing through her brain ever too quickly, barely giving her enough time to rethink or to comprehend where exactly she was or how exactly she ended up in this place, a place that she was not familiar with, a place that all so strange, and new to her. As her warm bare feet gently landed on the ground, a worried and frightened gasp escaped through her lips as the sudden ice chill from the cold ground immediately met her warm feet and shot right up from her feet all the way up to her kneecaps, tears silently spilling down her cheeks as her hands began to tremble violently, her emerald eyes were able to adjust to the bright florescent lights as they wandered aimlessly throughout the little room, confused, worried and frightened. The nurses gently guided her to the cushiony cot that was located just at the far end of the right, glued to the wall. Suddenly, a whimpered sound escaped from the young woman's mouth.

"Wh….Where am I….?" The young woman croaked, her whole body still shaken. One of the nurses looked down at Esmeralda apologetically, her eyes filled with so much sympathy as she gently helped the young woman onto the cot, grasping her hands with Esmeralda's.

"It's alright dear, you don't have to be afraid, and you're in the Briar Ridge Mental Hospital" The female nurse said gently. The woman had short red hair, she looked to be somewhere in her mid to late 30's and her body had all the curves in the right places, which were showing through her long white nurse's jacket. With curves like that, no one could miss her, but she was also very friendly and sympathetic, with her big brown eyes staring sadly into the young woman's emerald coloured eyes.

"H…How did I get here?" Esmeralda asked desperately, her small hands grasping onto the nurses hand tightly, shaken and too scared to let go. The nurse sighed sadly, with a hint of worry filled in her tone.

"You don't remember what happened?" The same nurse asked sadly, her eyes boring into the young woman's. Esmeralda slowly shook her head, her body still trembling, and her eyes pleading with answers. The three female nurses all exchanged worried glances with one another, finally turning their attention back to the young woman sitting in front of them. Finally, the same nurse spoke again.

"Dear, you were passed out for quite while on your way over here" The nurse explained gently, not wanting to frighten the young woman, who's mouth was hanging open in shock, her eyes widening in terror with her lips quivering, the words stuck deep down in her throat, unable to speak. Before she could get even a sound to escape from her mouth, the nurse beat her to it, placing a gentle reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay dear, don't be scared, we're going to do everything we can to help you" The nurse said soothingly. "But right now, we're going to have to ask you to take your clothes off so we can get you into a patient's gown, alright?" The nurse explained. Immediately, the young woman nodded as the three nurses slowly helped her off the cot, her warm feet gently touching the ground as they all guided her behind the screen to give her privacy. Once the nurses were out of sight for a brief moment, Esmeralda sucked in a huge deep breath, squeezing her eyes shut tight as she slowly began to undress, pulling the straps of her dress down her dark smooth shoulders, her white purple dress falling delicately off her body and landing softly on the ground, the young woman still remained in her silky bra and her underwear, with the sudden cool breeze from the air condition in the room flowing its way over and instantly sending shivers up and down her body as those same familiar tiny bumps began to form on her arms, the soft hairs on her arms beginning to stick up as she quickly wrapped her arms around her body, feeling exposed and embarrassed.

"Are you finished, sweetie?" The nurse asked from the other side of the screen, this time the voice belong to a different nurse, almost as if she sounded much younger than the other nurse, but younger by only a few years. The young woman slowly exhaled as she nodded her head, her eyes still squeezed shut, her arms still wrapped tightly around her body, opening her mouth as the words came out.

"Y-Yes…..I-I'm finished…." Esmeralda stuttered, her voice shaking but she was trying her best to calm herself down, trying to relax every muscle in her body. Just then, that same nurse slowly peeked her head around the screen as she handed the patient's gown to the young woman, helping her slip it over her head gently, the light blue thin cotton gown falling down her slim body as it fell at her smooth ankles, the sleeves were short but instantly, her body felt the warmth of the gown as the nurse grasped her hand gently and guided her back to cot, helping her up with the help of the other nurses.

"Okay dear, now we're going to have to perform some tests, alright?" The first nurse said gently as Esmeralda nodded, slowly beginning to relax. "But before we get into that, I'll introduce myself first. I'm Nurse Helen Parr, and this is Nurse Fiona" Nurse Helen began. Nurse Fiona had incredibly long red silky hair that was tied down in a braid with a slim fit body, but she didn't have curves like Helen did. Nurse Fiona smiled softly at the young woman as she let out a small gentle wave with her hand.

"And this is Nurse Colette" Nurse Helen introduced the third and final Nurse. Nurse Colette smiled softly, she had short dark brown hair that came right to her chin, with her big violet eyes and she also had curves as well, but still, Nurse Helen came in first place. The young woman nodded, with a soft smile appearing on her face as she automatically began to feel safe and secure with these three women, trusting them with how to do their jobs.

"Okay, now I'm going to have you take a breathalyser test, to make sure you have no alcohol in your system, alright?" Nurse Helen explained gently as the young woman nodded, obeying her orders. Right then and there, Nurse Fiona instantly grabbed the medium sized device out of her pocket and handed it to Nurse Helen as she gently slipped the small tube into Esmeralda's mouth. Placing her soft lips around the cold metal tube, the young woman immediately took a deep breath in and blew all that she could of her breath in through the tube, hearing the sounds of the digital bright red numbers scattering all over the little screen, the bright red numbers of all zeros popping their way on the screen, all three Nurses sighing in relief as this meant the young woman was not drunk, had zero alcohol in her system. Nurse Helen smiled softly at the young woman threw her small, blue satin mask.

"The good news is you're not drunk and you have no alcohol in your system" Nurse Helen said soothingly, with brought somewhat joy to the young woman's ears.

"Now that we have that out of the way, we're going to have to perform some drug tests and some blood work, okay?" Nurse Fiona explained soothingly, not wanting to frighten Esmeralda with the thought of having to pierce needles through her tender skin. The young woman nodded slowly, her face had a look of worry at the thought of hearing that fact that both the drug test and the blood work required needles, inhaling a deep breath and slowly exhaling. The three Nurses gently lied her down on the cot, her eyes staring up at bright florescent lights above her, the brightness shining down on her and instantly stinging her eyes, quickly closing them shut, her body was still trembling so subtly, with Nurse Colette resting her warm gloved hand soothingly on the young woman's shoulder, reassuring her that everything was going to be okay, rubbing her shoulder while Nurse Helen and Nurse Fiona were preparing the shots and the rest of the utensils. Instantly, Esmeralda heard the soft footsteps dragging against the marble floor, signalling that both Nurses were well prepared and ready to get this over with.

With her eyes still closed shut, she felt her body jump slightly at the feeling of Nurse Helen gently grabbing hold of her right arm, the feel of the cold liquid being rubbed into her arm was enough to make the young woman even more nervous as she desperately grasped her warm hand with Nurse Fiona's, squeezing as hard as she could as she suddenly felt the sharp pain of the needle being pierced through her tender skin, right in her vein, a sudden gasp in surprise pain escaping her threw her mouth as her whole body began to shake violently, with Nurse Fiona and Nurse Colette's voices mixing together simultaneously, whispering soothing words to terrified young woman, calming her down. But this was just the beginning; pretty soon the young woman had to endure numerous needles piercing through her skin to her other arm and the top of her back, with tears silently cascading down her face, the sharp pain already racing its way up her back and pretty much spreading throughout the rest of her body, causing numbness in certain spots, but thankfully, the drug test came out positive, meaning she had no drugs in her system, but what caught the Nurse's attention was the blood work, concerning them as the three of them were whispering to one another in concern. But the three Nurses decided to let the young woman go, not wanting to have to put her through any more pain.

"You're free to go now dear, I'll help you find your way out to the cafeteria" Nurse Helen said gently as she gently helped the young woman off the cot, still remaining in her patient's gown, her warm feet once again touching the cold ground as the two women exited the room and made their way down the hallway, the young woman's eyes gazing around the entire building, desperately clutching onto the middle aged woman's arm. Everything around her was all so different, so unfamiliar, with different hospital rooms, small bedrooms for the full time patients, almost claustrophobic like, but for some reason none of this seemed to bother the young woman. As the two women continued walking down the hallway, silence filled the air, it was even quiet in the whole hospital, not hearing any sort of sound, which puzzled Esmeralda, her eyes still roaming over the unfamiliar place, thoughts still running through her mind as to how she ended up in the place and why, was all she could think of. Well one thing was for sure, this place didn't look scary or intimidating, instead it looked rather welcoming and home-like, with the fake bright green plants on one side, soft couches on another, and it also had a nice resting area with a small television in one room that was on the right side, but this was only what the main floor looked like. Finally, the two women were right now standing in front of the beige coloured dishevelled doors, doors that supposedly led to the cafeteria where the rest of the patients were currently in right now.

Esmeralda nervously turned her gaze to Nurse Helen, still clutching her arm desperately, her body beginning to tremble and shake. Upon noticing this, Nurse Helen the young woman a reassuring smile as she guided her in through the dishevelled doors on the other side, revealing all the other patients who were currently enjoying their meals, some of them were either alone shaking in a corner, while the others were inhaling their food hungrily like a bear devouring sweet-sour berries, which instantly made the young woman feel uneasy about being around a bunch of strange people that she never knew, people who were also suffering from serious mental problems. Nurse Helen pats the young woman on her back soothingly.

"It's okay honey, they won't hurt you, don't be scared, right now I want you to enjoy a nice healthy meal, okay?" Nurse Helen said comfortingly. The young woman nodded and obeyed her orders, as Nurse Helen began to slowly make her way back to the door, which was enough to instantly startle the young woman as she quickly whipped around and ran after Nurse Helen, grabbing hold of her arm desperately, which caused everyone else's eyes to gaze in her direction.

"D-don't…leave m-me…." The young woman pleaded desperately, her tone frightened. Nurse Helen turned to look at Esmeralda, a sigh of sympathy escaping through her mouth as she gently guided the young woman to an empty table which was somewhat far from the rest of the patients, all of the other patients' eyes following their every move until they reached the table, Nurse Helen studying the young woman and setting her down at the table, the young woman still shaking with her hand still grasped around Nurse Helen's hand.

"Esmeralda, everything will be okay honey, I promise. Right now, you really need to eat; this is not healthy for….." Nurse Helen began to trail off, instantly biting her lip as she realized that she had already said too much, not able to finish her sentence, which caused the young woman to furrow her brow in confusion, searching for an answer. A sigh escaped from Nurse Helen's mouth as she put her head down in shame, but finally her gaze met the young woman's, smiling reassuringly.

"I'll be across the hall if you need me, okay?" Nurse Helen said, the young woman nodding her head slowly, gently unwrapping her hand from around Nurse Helen's hand, a soft smile appearing on Nurse Helen's face as she slowly got up from the table and made her way out through the beige doors. Nervously gazing around the cafeteria, Esmeralda was somewhat confused, confused as to where she was, why she was in this place and confused as to how she got here, especially when Nurse Helen just out of the blue cut herself off from explaining anymore from what she was about to say earlier, with the rest of the patients' curious gazes boring into her, which was enough to cause a deep ice old shiver to run up her spine, her cheeks flushing as a rush of blood made its way up to her cheeks.

All of a sudden and which nearly made the young woman jump up from her seat, a Nurse had roughly dropped a plate of food in front of her on the table, literally slamming the tray onto the wooded table, a Nurse that the young woman had never seen before, which was enough to make every single patient in the cafeteria to nearly fall out of their seats as well from the sudden smack on the table, with one girl screaming in terror as if someone had been attacking her as she jumped out of her seat, her screaming growing louder and louder by the minute, ringing throughout the entire cafeteria and flooded its way through the entrance doors, which was enough for the Nurses to overhear as a stampede of them came rushing in to the cafeteria along with a stretcher, the bright white coats gathered around the girl as they were trying their hardest to calm her down, only to have her begin to hyperventilate, yelling and screaming, running around the cafeteria, trying her hardest to escape the Nurses, as if they were trying to harm her, which they weren't.

Esmeralda's mouth dropped open in shock, her emerald eyes widening in terror with the rest of the patients all cowering in separate corners as they all witnessed two nurses pinning the terrified young girl down on the stretcher, one pinning her arms above her head with the other one pinning her legs and feet, her whole body squirming as the nurse reluctantly stuck a needle through her little arm, the young girl shrieking in pain, but the needle was enough to put her to sleep, instantly knocking her out. Numerous sighs escaped from the nurses mouths as they all began to make their way out of the cafeteria, pushing the stretcher with the now knocked out young girl lying down, her eyes closed shut, not making the slightest move. After witnessing what had just happened, and of course witnessing the amount of food sitting on her plate was enough to suddenly hit the young woman, hard in the head, quickly jumping up from the table, her hands trembling as she made her way to a nearby stained glass mirror which was all the way down at the end of the cafeteria, stopping suddenly right then and there as her eyes finally landed on her reflection through the cracked glass mirror, her eyes glazing over her body, her mouth hanging wide open, instantly smacking her hand over it, tears spilling down her cheeks as she hesitantly took both her hands and gently lifted up the hem of patients gown, careful so no one could see as she gazed over her body in the mirror, which suddenly all began to come back to her, suddenly realizing where she was and for the important reason why she was here.

The young woman was put in here because she suddenly began to realize that she is currently suffering from Anorexia Nervosa, which started to make sense with the tray of food sitting in front of her, how her stomach was literally in knots just by the looks of it, but that's not what put her here, what really put her here, more like who really put her in here was all because of the one person who had made her life miserable, the one person who was constantly putting her down, her mother, along with the help of her father as well. A deep sigh escaped from her through her mouth as she desperately tried to tear her eyes away from her morbidly obese reflection through the mirror-well to her she looked morbidly obese-as she slowly rested her body against the cold wall, sliding down onto the cold dirty ground and hugging her knees to her chest desperately, as more tears spilled down her cheeks, crying silently. All of this, seeing that young girl being taken away on the stretcher, seeing the huge plate of food sitting in front of her and seeing that ugly person in the mirror was enough to suddenly bring back that familiar, horrible flashback, the flashback that put her in this place.

0-0-0

_***Flashback***_

_It was a chilly spring afternoon in the medium-sized town of Paris, France. All the little kids were out with their mommies and daddies enjoying a nice stroll down the dry, crowded streets of Paris, letting the wind kiss at their warm cheeks and letting the cool air soak into their systems, all of them were desperate to escape their hot sticky houses and enjoy a nice walk in through the chilly, cool and refreshing breeze. Of course, the instant smell of freshly baked bread was enough to make the Parisian citizens' stomachs growl in hunger, the smell tickling their noses as their mouths watered, eagerly thirsting for the sweet taste of the delicious bread, which only costs them $3.00 a loaf. For some, the price didn't matter to them but for others, $3.00 was an expensive price, especially to one individual in particular._

_It was then when twenty-three old Esmeralda-who was currently crouched in an isolated corner-instantly began to smell the fresh loaves of bread, the sweet scent floating its way throughout the medium-sized town and instantly rounding its way around the corner right to where the young woman was sitting, hitting her smack in the nose, her mouth beginning to water in hunger as her stomach started growling, the loud sound instantly waking up her pet goat, Jolly as his ears perked up, lifting the rest of his head as he turned to glare at her annoyance, interrupting him from his sleep. Upon seeing this, the young woman couldn't help but frown at her goat._

"_Don't give me that look; it's not my fault that my stomach has a mind of its own" The young woman said to Jolly. The goat snorted as he lifted his whole body of the ground stomped his hooves on the bumpy, cold rocky pavement impatiently, causing the young woman to sigh in frustration._

"_Jolly, if I had money I would buy some bread, but I can't. Only if Ma would be nice enough for a change and lend her daughter some money" Esmeralda said sadly, her mind instantly lingering back to the memories. If one thing was for sure, Esmeralda and her mother did not have a normal mother-daughter relationship, which meant the two never got along with one another. To the young woman, it seemed as if her mother hated her, which was very unfortunate because deep down, Esmeralda did love her mother dearly, but it really hurt her so terribly that her own mother was so judgmental of her. _

_Back then, her mother was never like the way she is today, back when she was happily married to the young woman's father, the three of them were such a happy family, so loving and caring, the three of them sharing a strong loving bond between them, cherishing and enjoying every moment they had together. You could say that at the age of three, Esmeralda was known as daddy's little girl, showering her and her mother with special gifts just because he loved them dearly. Her father always took her out for ice cream every warm Friday night, the two strolling through the dim light early in the evening, enjoying every moment together, the young woman grasping her little hand with her father's big ones. It was then when her father picked up the young little girl in his arms, and said the most loving thing to his daughter that she would never ever forget._

"_Esme, Poppa loves both you and your mom very much, you know that right?" The older man asked the little girl. The little girl nodded happily, a big smile spread across her face while enjoying the sweet taste of the vanilla ice cream, the white artificial liquid was now plastered all over her little face from the tiny nose down to her chin, causing the older man to chuckle softly._

"_Poppa, will you promise to love me and mommy forever?" The little girl asked her father innocently. Upon hearing this, the older man had a soft smile appear on his face, his cheeks turning a warm shade of pink and red, pushing the small strands of Raven hair from little girl's face as he leaned and pressed his lips against her forehead. _

"_Of course I will Angel, I always will, I promise" The older man said softly as the two exchanged warm smiles with one another, the little girl giggling softly, but unfortunately, that promise came to an end._

_Two years later at the age of five years old, that's when everything came crumbling down, so fast in the blink of an eye. It was a devastating time for everyone, including five year old Esmeralda. It was the time when both her parents had gotten a divorce; the two were fighting viciously with one another, which eventually led to some physical fights between the two former lovers, which caused extreme fear towards the little girl, having to witness her father ever laying his hand on her mother was enough to traumatize her, scarring her for life, unable to wash the image completely clean from her mind. _

_After her parents divorced, from then on it was just Esmeralda and her mother, who was granted complete and full custody of her, with the exception of her father coming to visit her every now and then, very rarely. Back then, her father would go out of his way to put off his busy schedule just see his little angel's face, visiting her every weekend, but again and unfortunately, that slowly began to fade. It was then at the age of thirteen when Esmeralda and her mother received a long letter from her father, writing to them that he was now happily remarried to a much younger woman with a new baby on the way, which caused the teenage girl not only extreme heartbreak, but also betrayal and pure hatred towards her father. With that ever since her remarried, she had never seen or heard from him since that letter he wrote to her and her mother. _

_Ever since then, the loving relationship that the young woman once had with her mother had changed, completely. From the sweet and heart-to-heart mother daughter bonding conversations to having to endure constant and painful verbal abuse. Having a mother who was so very judgemental and so careless with her only daughter, was enough to have the young woman fall into a deep depression, which slowly but subtly began to change the young woman's outlook on family and love, and also more importantly, herself in particular, the way how she looked, concerning her with her overall appearance, especially with the way how her body looked and appealed to everyone, especially men, which resulted in her to suddenly become body conscious with herself and sometimes leading her to skipping meals, only eating once a day or even three times a week, not to mention having to fend for herself, which resulted in her having to take over the household responsibilities, which was all too much for the poor young woman to handle on her own, with no help from her mother and no support from her father, which pretty much led her to where she is today, having to spend most of her time out in the streets just to get away from being in that toxic environment with her mother, with no money, which resulted in her having to sometimes engage in stealing food, there were times when she did get caught, which meant having to endure constant deep and painful lectures from her judgemental mother, but there were times where she got away with it and was able to enjoy a somewhat delicious warm meal with Jolly, the only creature on the planet who cared about her and loved her unconditionally, the only person on earth who accepted her for who she was and never judged her, or betrayed her like what her parents have done to her. Having to steal food did make her feel extremely guilty but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do in order to survive, right? _

_Another deep sigh escaped from Esmeralda's mouth, her eyes beginning to well up with tears, as one tear slid down her cheek, wiping it away as she sniffled, Jolly noticing this instantly nuzzled his head on her arm, comforting her as she looked down at her pet goat and softly scratched between his ears, which was how he liked it. The two were still desperately sitting in that same corner they always came to when the young woman needed time to herself to think, isolated, away from everyone, with the same sweet scent of the delicious bread still floating throughout the town, both their stomachs were growling at this point in hunger, but then, a sudden thought popped into Esmeralda's head, a devilish smile spreading across her face as she looked down at Jolly._

"_Jolly…..I know a way how can get some bread for the both of us…." The young woman said quietly, causing jolly's ear to perk up in excitement, lifting his head from her lap to gaze at her._

"_I have a plan…." Esmeralda whispered as she crouched down even further, careful not to let anyone know or witness what she was planning, whispering to Jolly what their secret plan was going to be._

_After a few minutes, the bread shop was almost completely out of bread, with only two giant loaves to spare after a successful busy day of selling and earning some decent amount of cash, with the noisy citizens beginning to quiet down as the bright hot sun was beginning to slowly set down from its peak, revealing the now dim light of the pinks and the yellows and light blues outdoors, the heat beginning to cool down softly with a gentle breeze. The bread shop was just about to close when all of a sudden, the sudden sound of soft music began to ring from somewhere down the streets, instantly catching everyone's ears as they all began to curiously follow the sound down the streets of Paris. It was then when all the curious citizens gasped in amazement, their eyes landing on the dancing young woman, Esmeralda, dancing so gracefully and swaying her hips delicately to the music, matching every beat perfectly, the balls of her bare feet softly padding against the rocky stoned ground, twisting her whole body around and continuing to move her body with the music, a soft smile reappearing on her face as all the Parisian citizens began to applaud and whistle in amazement, which only encouraged the young woman to dance even more, which meant her little plan was working out perfectly, the plan where she would dance in the streets to distract all the citizens-including the baker-so Jolly would slowly proceed to sneak off into the bakery and snatch the gigantic loaf of bread in his mouth and take off, which little did Esmeralda know that her plan slowly began to backfire._

_It was then a sudden loud sound rang throughout the streets and immediately caught everyone's attention, which caused a loud gasp to escape from the Baker's mouth, his blood beginning to boil in extreme anger, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth at what he was witnessing. Right then and there, everything in his bakery was scattered all over the place, the fresh doe was now stuck all over the dirty floors and walls, every single oven baked fresh goods were scattered everywhere, giant crumbs spread all over the floor and the two remaining loaves of bread were both sprawled all over the dirty grounds, revealing a clumsy Jolly with one loaf of bread in his mouth, his eyes widening in terror as crumbs and fresh doe was all over him. All he did was blink twice and in the blink of an eye, immediately rushed passed the baker and all the other citizens and made a run for it, which instantly began to make sense to the baker as he now turned and fixed his glare on the young woman, her emerald eyes widening in terror as they wandered around every single glaring person nervously, without thinking twice, she managed to jump and deek passed everyone and immediately began sprinting down the streets, catching up to Jolly as she snatched the bread from his mouth and grabbed hold of it, despite hearing the loud shouting and roaring the erupted from everyone behind her as she could suddenly hear the sounds of heavy shoes stomping after her, her bare feet padding against the pavement, possibly causing her feet to bleed with the sharp rocks the dug through the skin of her foot with every step she took._

"_THIEF! GET HER!" The baker shouted as did everyone else whose voice chorused alongside with him, continuously running after her, which only resulted in the young woman beginning to pick up the pace, her calves and thighs beginning to burn, crying out to her, her breathing quickening as the wind bit at her cheeks, with Jolly's hooves clacking against the cold pavement. It was then when suddenly, the young woman ran smack into another individual, instantly sending her flying back to the ground, landing smack hard on her back, which knocked the wind out of her, her head slamming into the rough ground as a rush of pain spread throughout her whole body, unable to move as she grunted and groaned in pain, the warm bread still clutched tightly to her chest, only to have it ripped from her two hands as a pair of strong hands tightly and roughly gripped her arms and yanked her off the ground, the young woman grunting and fighting to get free, but it was no use. It was obvious that the strong arms belonged to the city's police officers and guards, with one officer already capturing Jolly in his arms, holding him still, preventing him from escaping._

"_You again, huh" One male officer said, furrowing his brow as he gazed down at the young woman, who was scowling up at the officer, still squirming and trying to set herself free._

"_Let go of me" The young woman demanded bitterly, her feet now dangling in the air as the officer held her up off the ground, gripping her arms which possibly began to cause bruising. Soon, the baker and the rest of the citizens suddenly came to a halt as they witnessed the young woman caught by the police._

"_Arrest her! She stole my bread! She did it again officer!" The Baker yelled angrily in disgust._

"_We'll take care of her sir, sorry for the inconvenience" The police officer explained soothingly to the baker, which immediately began to make Esmeralda's blood boil._

"_Put me down!" Esmeralda yelled, still kicking in mid-air._

"_Quiet thief, you're not going anywhere" The police officer said impatiently as they hauled her into the back of the horse's carriage along with Jolly and locked them inside the back behind bars, riding off down the streets, the young woman's emerald eyes glaring through medal bars at the angry citizens. Worry and fear began to get the best of her, as she realized that once she got home (if she got home); she would be in a load of trouble._

_0-0-0_

"_Esmeralda, how many times do we have to go over this? Won't you ever learn?" The older woman yelled at her daughter, the younger woman glaring out through the cold stained glass window, her eyes roaming over the beautiful city of Paris, which was now blanketed with darkness, the little white stars in the dark sky scattered in every direction, which was calming on the inside, tears spilling down Esmeralda's cheeks, not wanting her mother to see. An irritated groan escaped from the older woman's mouth as she began to pace back and forth around the young woman's bedroom._

"_Why do you always have to get yourself in trouble? You know stealing is NOT the answer!" The older woman shouted, causing Esmeralda to jump slightly at her mother's booming voice, her words beginning to sting as large lump formed in her throat, stinging, but still, she never said a word._

"_I don't get you! I try to give you a better life and how do you thank me, you go out with your stupid pet goat and you steal food!" The older at this point was now screaming loudly, every single word that escaped her mouth stung with strong acid, cut like a sharp knife. Finally, the younger woman adjusted her body to face her mother, her piercing glare boring into the older woman standing in front of her, her blood beginning to boil._

"_You never gave me perfect life. All my life, you've done nothing but judge me" The younger woman said bitterly, her voice was calm but inside, she was terrified and hurting deeply as ever, even worse, tears still cascading down her cheeks, her lips pressed tightly together, preventing herself from bursting out in tears. Upon hearing this, the older woman grew more and more angry, clenching her fists to her sides, her breathing quickening._

"_I never gave you a perfect life? I judge you?" The older woman asked through gritted teeth, but finally, she lost it. "How dare you say that to me, Esmeralda! Al I've ever done was try to help you! I did everything that I could to do what was best for you and you have not been the least bit thankful or grateful! Stealing food and getting caught by the police for the fourth time in a row? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? WHY YOU CAN'T YOU ACT LIKE A NORMAL DAUGHTER AND HUMAN BEING?" Instantly, the last sentence and question cut deep, very deep, almost if she had been beaten brutally in the gut, the young woman's eyes softening as more tears spilled down her cheeks, her breathing beginning to slow down rapidly, as if her heart had been torn from out her body and stomped on continuously. Was it true? Was that how her own mother actually saw her, as a disgrace and….not human? Desperately, Esmeralda looked up at her mother, her eyes pleading._

"_Is that how you think of me? As not….human?" The younger woman asked desperately, her voice shaking and pleading. Seeing her only daughter so desperate did not change the mother's attitude, instead, she felt no remorse for what she had just said, meaning every word that flew right out of her mouth. The older woman let out a sigh in frustration, digging her nails through her scalp in irritation. Finally, she fixed her glare on the younger woman._

"_You know, what, if you're going to keep acting like this, then you can sit your lonesome self in this room and never come out, I'm sick of having to deal with you. No wonder your father left us, him leaving us was your entire fault. You're a selfish spoiled brat who cares about no one else but herself and that stupid pet goat!" The older woman yelled as she stomped out of the younger woman's room, slamming the door shut with such force, which caused the small objects in her room to break, including the tiny little snow globe that was a special gift from her father, as it fell off her end table, the glass was completely shattered all over the hardwood floor, along with the liquid spilling out of it, spreading all over the ground, creating its own little stream as it seeped it was under her small bed._

_Upon witnessing this, Esmeralda quickly jumped off her bed and rushed over the snow globes aid, but it was already too late as it was already broken, more tears spilling down her cheeks, the only thing that she treasured dearly was gone, as it hurt it even more which was the only thing she had left of her father, knowing deep down that she would never see him again. The young woman hugged her knees to her chest, sobbing silently, beginning to hiccup violently, and her mother's harsh and bitter words still remained glued to her mind, unable to forget exactly what she had said. Her own mother thought of her as not human, as the worse daughter she's ever had, her own mother actually blaming her for her father leaving them, which hurt even more than what she had said earlier. As Esmeralda continued sobbing, she slowly lifted her head up from her knees, slowly lifted herself up off the ground and made her way over to her door, her bare feet was now soaked in the clear liquid that spilled from the globe, closing the door shut and locking it, not letting anyone in, not even Jolly, completely shutting herself out from the world, from everything, and more importantly, everyone. The young woman leaned her body against the door, still sobbing as the stained glass mirror standing in front of her suddenly caught her attention, fear and worry washing over her as she began to realize the person staring back at her was completely different, her eyes staring at a morbidly obese young woman through her reflection, slowly inching her body away from the door and gently running her fingers over the reflection staring back at her through the cold glass. What Esmeralda saw was not her, instead the woman staring back at her was an ugly person, a person so lonely and desperate that no one loved. Now it all made sense to her, it all made sense as to why her mother would label her as not human, her father leaving them because of her, which caused more tears to spill down her cheeks. "Ma was right all along, with Poppa out of the picture, no man will ever love me, or want to be with me" The young woman thought sadly to herself as she put her hand over her mouth, her whole body shaking and trembling, hiccupping, sobbing hurting deeply. The young woman slumped down onto the ground, hugging her knees to her chest as she sobbed and sobbed and sobbed. If this was how people saw her, especially her own parents, then this meant she would keep herself locked up in her room forever._

_Over the past three days, Esmeralda kept herself locked in her room, her body was now sprawled out on the ground, with no food or water, her mouth going completely dry, her whole body feeling weak, not able to make the slightest move, her eyes were nearly shut, not even blinking the slightest bit, her emerald eyes staring blankly at the white cracked ceiling above her, slowly beginning to flutter and soon, her eyes were closed completely shut, her mind going into complete unconsciousness, blacking out everything, her heartbeat beginning to slow down, only pumping once…..twice…three…..slowly beginning to die down._

_Three hours later, the front door burst open and in came the older woman as she was just coming home from work. For the past three days, she had been somewhat calm but she did grow suspicious as to why she hasn't seen her daughter for those three remaining dies. Part of her thought she was probably out gallivanting as always with her pet goat and probably crashed at a relative's place, but the other part of her was beginning to grow worried, not even hearing from her daughter for three days was enough to cause her concern. Her eyes roamed around the little house, searching for any sign of her daughter, but nothing, not a thing._

"_Esmeralda!" The older woman called out, hoping to receive some sort of response, but still, nothing._

"_Esmeralda?" She called out again, trying her best to remain calm, but worry and fear washed over. She sighed heavily as she made her way up the stairs and made her way right to the young woman's door to her bedroom, standing in front of it as she began to hit her knuckles against the hardwood door, knocking loudly and quickly._

"_Esmeralda! Open this door right now!" The older woman demanded bitterly. Still nothing, not even a single movement was to be heard. Again, she continued knocking, growing more and more impatient._

"_Young lady open this door immediately!" The older woman was now yelling, but her voice had a hint of worry to its tone. Sighing and groaning in frustration, the older woman stomped her way down the stairs and straight into the kitchen, throwing open the drawer as she retrieved a butter knife and immediately stomped her way back up the stairs towards the young woman's bedroom, muttering and cursing under her breath. The older woman inserted the butter knife in through the lock and began to twist it open, thankfully it worked which relief washed over her, but she was still pretty pissed off. Once she unlocked the door, she instantly threw the door open and stormed her inside the room, as a sudden gasp in shock and horror escaped her mouth, immediately smacking her hand over her mouth as her eyes roamed over her daughter's motionless body sprawled out on the floor, unmoving, unconscious. The older woman immediately dropped down to her knees as she put her head against the young woman's chest, searching for any sign of a heartbeat, but nothing, which made the older woman worry. She desperately grabbed hold of her daughter's wrist, searching for any sign of a pulse, and it was relived to find there was at least a tiny pulse which coursed through her vein, meaning that she was still alive. Good thing Esmeralda had a phone in her bedroom as the older woman grabbed hold of the phone and started dialling 911, her fingers trembling on the buttons but she was able to get a hold of them, the line picked up from the other end of the phone._

"_Bonjour! 911! My daughter is passed out on the floor! I need an ambulance here fast!" The older woman cried desperately as her eyes continued to remained glued on her daughter, tears spilling down her cheeks as her hands were still grasped around the young woman's wrist, the young woman was still completely unaware of what was happening around her, still unconscious. In a matter of ten seconds, the ambulance had arrived, gently placing the young woman on the stretcher and wheeling her out into the ambulance….._

_A few hours later, Esmeralda's eyes began to flutter open, all she could make out was the florescent bright lights boring down onto her, realizing that she was no longer in her home, but rather she was in a hospital, in the emergency room? Slowly, the young woman lifted her body up from the stretcher, with IV's hooked to her arm and the monitor beeping, which caused her ears to sting a bit at the loudness of the object. Her eyes began wandering around the room and surprisingly, they landed right on her mother, who was pacing back and forth in the room._

"_Ma….." Esmeralda croaked, instantly catching the older woman's attention as she rushed to her daughter's aid and grasped her hand with her cold, rusty ones._

"_What happened? Why were you passed out in your room?" The older woman demanded, scowling at her daughter. The younger woman sighed heavily and focused her attention back to her mother._

"_Ma…..the reason I passed out was because…I was starving myself….." The young woman confessed right then and there, admitting to what she has done so quickly and so easily, not hesitating or making the slightest attempt to lie. The older woman opened her mouth in shock, gasping._

"_Why would you do that? Do you know how dangerous that is? You could kill yourself!" The older woman was now yelling, causing tears to spill from Esmeralda's eyes and sliding down her cheeks._

"_I did it for you! I did it for you and for Poppa, okay?" The younger woman yelled back at her mother, sobbing and hiccupping. At this point, the older woman was now in tears, completely breaking down as she buried her face in her hands, crying heavily as the doctor came in and put an a reassuring hand on the older woman's shoulder in comfort. The older woman lifted her head from her hands and looked up at the doctor, pleading._

"_Please, you have to help my daughter. She's been starving herself and I've been doing everything I can to help her! She won't listen to me!" The older woman cried to the doctor. Upon hearing this, this immediately caused the young woman's jaw to hang open in shock, hurt and betrayal filling in her eyes. How could her mother turn her in like that? How could she turn this all around and make it look like SHE was the victim and not her? The younger woman asked herself desperately, searching for the words to come out of her mouth, but she was unable to find them, remaining stuck in her throat. The doctor sighed sympathetically as he focused his attention on the young woman, his eyes roaming over her._

"_Well what we could do is send her away to a mental hospital that is located in the state of Colorado for a while, to get her the help she needs with her problems" The doctor suggested gently. Upon hearing this, the older woman turned her attention back to her daughter, reluctantly agreeing to doctor's suggestion._

"_That would be a good thing for her and for me as well" The older woman said. "Esme, what do you say?" She asked her daughter hopefully. The younger woman sucked in a deep breath of air, still hesitant but as she finally exhaled, she slowly nodded in agreement._

"_Fine, I'll go" Esmeralda said bitterly, still feeling betrayed by her own mother, but if it meant being far away from home away from that toxic place she called a home, then that's probably what was best for her and her mother, mainly her._

"_Alright, so we'll have her leave first thing tomorrow morning" The doctor said with a reassuring smile on his face as he continuously stared at Esmeralda, who still had tears streaming down her cheeks. The next morning was the day she was being shipped off the mental hospital, but unfortunately she had lost her memory due to her being passing out the on the flight to Colorado, not able to remember a thing….._

0-0-0

***Present Day***

The young woman finally snapped back to reality, now being able to finally remember how she got here and why she was here. The reason why she was put in here in the first place was because she was currently suffering from Anorexia Nervosa, and it was all because of her mother, who drilled those horrible words and thoughts into her head, and who was the one who completely turned everything around and blamed her daughter for everything, making her look like the victim. As these continued to roam through her head, Esmeralda still remained crouched in the corner, silently crying to herself, her knees hugged tightly to her chest, away from everyone and everything, not wanting to converse with anyone.

If one was thing was for sure as much as she was miserable, part of her was extremely grateful for not having to endure her mother's constant verbal abuse any longer, being able to get the help she desperately needed.

All she knew was that this was just the beginning for her, the chance to start her life over again.

**What did you guys think? Love it? Hate it? Just Okay? Anyways, you know the drill, R&R! **

**P.S. I am now accepting anonymous reviews! Thanks guys! Next chapter features Mulan again!**


	5. Mulan: May 10th to 11th

**Chapter 5: Mulan, May 10****th**** to 11****th**

It was yet, another quiet and mute day at the Briar Ridge Mental Hospital, all the patients quiet as always, keeping to themselves and careful to avoid any kind of conversation with one another. As opposed to yesterday when it was bright and sunny out, today it was rather rainy and gloomy, the bright blue sky was now blanketed with the dark gray clouds, and the sounds of the soothing raindrops were enough to keep everyone else calm, none of them going crazy or acting different in any sort of way. Everyone seemed to be keeping themselves busy with different sorts of activities that they enjoyed, all except for one individual in particular.

It wasn't long until a loud, high-pitched and terrified scream made instantly rung throughout the hospital, making its way down the hallway, seeping all the way out through the front entrance doors, enough to suddenly startle the remaining patients, all of them literally jumping right out of their socks as their hearts began racing and beating violently inside their chests, their eyes widening in terror and their bodies trembling as they realized that the scream was coming from all the way down from the examining room, erupting from a yet again, another unhappy new patient.

Right inside the little tight squeezed examining room, of course the high-pitched scream in terror came from the twenty-one year old young woman, Mulan. The young woman was currently trying to be pinned down right on the cot by the Nurses, screaming at the top of her lungs, terrified and shaken, her fists and feet kicking and punching violently, squirming and struggling to escape from the three Nurses' grasps, which only resulted in her fighting and kicking even more. Of course, it wasn't her fault that the young woman was so terrified, after all, at the sight of having her brown eyes immediately come in contact with a giant needle, was enough to trigger her disorder. The Nurses tried to do everything in their power to be gentle with her, but that did not work out too well, which led them to having to drag a chair towards the door to block it, preventing Mulan from trying to find a way to escape from these monsters from attacking her, well to her that's what she thought. As the young woman continued to kick and scream, tears cascading down her cheeks and her voice beginning to dry up from all the screaming, it wasn't long until Nurse Colette warm but firm hands immediately strapped her small ankles down firm on the cot, holding her tight while Nurse Fiona was able to grab hold of her flying and forceful little wrists above and hold them above her head, her whole body still struggling and squirming, at this point, the young woman began to burst into hysterical tears, sobbing violently while continuously screaming until all of a sudden, the sharp pain of the sharp needle being pierced through her tender and light skin, right down to her vein, was enough to cause the screaming and the crying to dye down ever so slowly, all that was coming out of her mouth was a soft and subtle little whimper, a whimper in desperation that was beginning to dye down, her eyes beginning to flutter, slower and slower, pretty much no sound was coming out of her throat, her eye lids beginning to close, until Mulan fell unconscious, instantly starting to black out, her whole body was still, unmoving, but suddenly, the unconsciousness was enough to bring back those horrible images and traumatic memories and experiences, instantly falling into a deep sleep, as her mind drifted off to those same brutal images that have been continuously haunting her, the images that put her here in the first place.

_It was a cold winter night in China, most of the little brick houses had been destroyed, burned down to a crisp, the villagers brutally murdered with their bodies lying lifelessly in the cold snow, the dark red liquid spilling out of their bodies and seeping its way through the white puffy snow, causing the delicate white snow to be covered in red liquid, blood and the rest of the soldiers bodies alongside with them, battered, tortured and brutally murdered, except the remaining soldiers, their voices chorusing together, but not cheering, more like screaming in anger as they all crowded over one certain individual, Mulan. The soldiers dragged the young woman throughout the cold snow, the freezing ice chilled snow seeping in through her now torn and ripped armour, chilling her warm skin to the bone, causing her skin to grow numb, her head hanging down in shame, her hands tied tightly behind her back, tears cascading her face as her short black hair blanketed her face, the firm and tight grasps of the soldiers big hands around her fragile arms was enough to cause extreme bruising, her arms would probably be black and purple by the next day. Her soldier mates had discovered she was woman, who was impersonating a solider which was now going to lead to extreme punishment._

_Next thing Mulan knew and in the blink of an eye, she was immediately thrown inside a prison cell, her whole body being pushed and thrown with such force, her face landing smack on the cold pavement ground, her lips scraping on the stoned pavement which immediately caused the bitter taste of blood to dance on her tongue, seeping its way out of her mouth and onto the ground, a tiny puddle of blood saliva began to form underneath her, her whole body was weak as tried to push herself up off the ground, only to receive a sudden violent blow from a heavy boot to her rib cage, causing a high pitched whimper to erupt from the young woman's throat, clutching her rib cage desperately, groaning and grunting in pain, her eyes lids fluttering, trying to adjust to the dim light above her only to reveal a bunch of strong men hidden in armour crowding above her. Again, she tried to push herself up off the ground, trying to find some way to escape, but it was no use when suddenly, another blow to her jaw sent her flying back to the stoned cold ground, her whole mouth was now covered in blood, which were now mixed with the salty clear liquid that spilled out of her eyes, groaning and whimpering, trying to find the words to come out of her mouth._

"_Please….don't do this to me…" A croaked whisper escaped from Mulan's throat, only to receive another blow to the eye, screaming and sobbing in pain, causing her left eye to turn dark purple. At this point, the young woman couldn't even move, not even crawl, trying her hardest to get up from the ground, but it was no use. As she continued to groan in pain, it wasn't long until she felt a pair of strong hands suddenly grabbing and pulling onto her short hair, the pain from her scalp being pulled was enough to cause a loud shriek to erupt from her throat as she tried her hardest to fight him, trying to elbow the guard in the rib, but continuously missed. _

_Upon witnessing this, suddenly another pair of strong hands shoved her body back to the ground, pinning her down as she young woman continued to scream as loudly as she could, punching and kicking, only to have her arms pinned above her head and her legs to be pinned down to the ground, struggling and screaming in desperation. It wasn't long until another pair of hands suddenly began to tug down on her clothes, ripping her pants off along with her shoes, tearing off her top, only to reveal the young woman remaining in nothing but her underwear, the rest of her body was completely bare and exposed to all these men, the chill from the inside of the cell was enough to send shivers up her body, causing goose bumps to form all over her exposed bare body, more tears spilling down her cheeks as the young woman sobbed heavily, through her blurred screen vision, she could make out the amount of men standing over her, and right now it looked it there were about seven of them in tot, plus the two that were pinning her down._

"_Let go of me, please, I'm begging you, please don't do this to me!" The young woman begged desperately, her voice going dry, croaking and whimpering in pain. Much to her surprise, the sudden sound of the zipper making its way down from the pants, was enough to open her eyes clearly, widening in terror as Mulan suddenly began to realize what was to happen next, which caused her to scream in terror, struggling her hardest to escape the tight grasps on her wrist and ankles, trying her hardest to kick when all of a sudden, a pair of cold and rough hands began to make their way all over her bare and exposed body, spreading her legs wide open as another pair of hands instantly tore off her underwear, throwing it away as the young woman was now left completely unclothed, exposed, his hands continuously touching her body roughly, as one guard got down on his knees, pulled down his pants and underwear as he pressed his strong body against hers, so soft and delicate as the guard thrust himself inside her, hard, clamping his hand on Mulan's mouth to prevent her from screaming, but that didn't stop her. Through his clamped hand, all that could be heard was the muffled scream erupting from the young woman's mouth, screaming in pain and horror as he thrust himself deeper inside her, causing blood to spill out of her violently, tears cascading down her cheeks. Once the first guard was finished, another guard continued on, and then another, and then another, until all the guards repeatedly raped her brutally, tearing the young woman apart mentally and physically, blood was now all over the ground, Mulan was currently left in her own pool of blood, beaten, raped and drugged which caused her to slip into deep unconsciousness, her naked body lying in her own pool of dark liquid blood, lying motionless, her bare body exposed, not making the slightest move, her rib cage was broken, blood still spilling out of her mouth and her eye a dark shade of black and blue, whimpering softly, alone, with no one to comfort her, the guards leaving her completely unclothed in the prison cell, cold and alone…._

Instantly, the young woman's dark brown eyes snapped open, hoping to find herself in her room, in her home, hoping that this had been all a nightmare, searching for her familiar little decorated lantern that she kept on the end table beside her bed but instead, her eyes landed on an empty end table, completely white with nothing standing on it but a small little lamp, her eyes continuously roaming in circles all around the room, her eyes searching for any sign on her familiar polished and warm window sill where she sat every morning to let the sun shine on her face, instead her window sill was replaced with nothing but a small window, a window that looked nothing like the one she's used to, rather it was covered in dried paint, as she suddenly began to realize that she was not in her room, as matter of fact, she was not even in her home, the place that was her sanctuary. Confused and frightened as she slowly lifted her body up from the rough mattress, Mulan immediately began to look in every direction of the small room that she was trapped in, her body trembling, her breath quickening as she continuously whipped her head around in every direction, also surprised that no longer remained in her favourite traditional Chinese silk gown that she always wore to bed. Instead, she remained in a long white satin gown that came just above her ankles, a gown that was so unfamiliar to her as it clung to her slim body along as she instantly began to feel somewhat of slight pressure on her wrist, her eyes roaming over her wrist at the thick white plastic bracelet that was tied tightly around her wrist, a medical bracelet of course, not to mention, the thought of having to sleep on this uncomfortable and rough mattress was enough to cause the young woman to begin hyperventilating, her breathing was growing quicker and quicker, her heart racing inside her chest, ready to explode, digging her fingernails into her scalp, tears racing down her cheeks as she immediately jumped up from the bed, a little too quickly as her feet landed on the ground, tangling up in one another, causing her to fall flat on her face on the rugged ground, landing with a loud thud as she quickly picked herself up off the ground and ran straight to the door, jiggling the handle desperately, only to find it locked, which caused Mulan to begin hallucinating, screaming and shouting and pounding her fists hard against the rough and cracked door, instantly beginning to damage her knuckles as this caused the skin on her knuckles to break, instantly drawing little bits of blood.

Still, the young woman continued banging her fists against the hard door, desperate to find some sort of escape, but still nothing, which resulted in more yelling and screaming and cries of panic to erupt from her throat.

"LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT!" The young woman screamed desperately, tears cascading down her cheeks, her whole body beginning to grow limp and tired as she desperately leaned her body against the door, her cheeks pressed tightly up against the cool painted door when all of a sudden, the sound of footsteps began to hurriedly make their way down the halls and up the stairs, which instantly rang through the young woman's ears as she slowly and quickly began to move back towards her bed, hugging her knees to her chest tightly, her whole body still trembling as the sound of the door hinges squeaking open was enough to startle her, inching her body backwards away from the footsteps that were slowly making their way towards her, revealing none other than Nurse Fiona, as she gently and slowly shut the door behind her, her green eyes were trained carefully on the young woman sitting in front of her, hugging her knees to her chest as she nervously rocked her body back and forth, shaking violently. Nurse Fiona let out a sigh of sympathy as she slowly grabbed the wooden chair that was hidden in the corner of the room and gently dragged it against the rugged ground, carefully adjusting her body onto the wooden chair, crossing her legs and placing her hands on her lap, still eyeing Mulan carefully, searching for the right words to say. Finally after about a few minutes are part-taking in a staring contest between the two women, Nurse Fiona was able to find the right words, as she softly began to speak.

"Sweetie, I know you're terribly frightened right now and you have every right to be. I mean this place is all so new and different to you, especially with the serious condition you're in right now, it's enough to trigger the trauma more" Nurse Fiona explained gently, her eyes searching Mulan, but still, the young woman kept silent, her brown eyes were now staring down at the ground beneath her, her knees still hugged to her chest, but the shaking and the trembling was slowly beginning to die down.

"Listen to me, I know you're still traumatized but you just have to trust us, especially me that we will never ever hurt you or do anything to harm you, believe me, that's the last thing on earth that we ever want to do, sweetie" Nurse Fiona explained softly. "All we want to do is help you, help you to get better and help to cure you. I promise with all my might that we will never hurt you" Nurse Fiona said gently, trying to reach her hand out to the young woman, only to have her inch her body away from her even more, shifting her weight over to the edge of the bed, practically about to fall down to the ground. A sad sigh escaped from the female Nurse's mouth as she pulled her hand back, realizing that she had just made the young woman even more frightened than she already was. Awkward silence filled the air, both women continued to keep their eyes trained on one another, with Mulan beginning to tremble slightly.

"Sweetie, believe me I know this is very tough on you, but right now you have to really trust me. I promise I will not let anything or anyone harm you, or even touch you. Do you think you can build yourself up to do that for a little while, honey?" Nurse Fiona asked softly, her eyes pleading with hope. Slowly, the young woman's eye began to soften up, slowly but subtly beginning to relax her tense muscles in every part of her, her arms beginning to unwound from around her knees as she slowly and carefully inched herself closer back on the bed, closer to the female Nurse that was sitting across from her, which instantly brought a soft smile on her face, proud of herself for finally being able to get to her and to accomplish part of her job. Slowly but hesitantly, the female Nurse reached her hand out to the young woman again, with Mulan staring down at her hand in confusion, her eyes glued to her pale white delicate hand, not making the slightest move as the female nurse began to speak.

"Here sweetie, why don't I take you down the cafeteria to get something to eat?" Nurse Fiona suggested gently. "Poor thing, you must be hungry" She said softly and apologetically. Hesitantly, Mulan slowly nodded her head in agreement as she slowly lifted her little hand and carefully grasped hers together with the female nurse's soft one, as Nurse slowly began to rise up from the wooden chair, which was sure to bring soreness to her lower back, carefully raising the young woman up from the bed as her little bare feet touched the rugged ground beneath her, her hands clutching desperately around Nurse Fiona's arm, shaking as they began to make their way out of the tiny claustrophobic bedroom and made their way down the stairs.

0-0-0

Once the two women reached the cafeteria and pushed themselves inside, Mulan instantly began to tremble, her hands still clutched to Nurse Fiona's arm as her brown eyes nervously roamed and circled around the entire room, landing on every single other patient inside the cafeteria who were all isolated on their own, enjoying their meal and not making any kind of conversation with one another, completely oblivious to what was around them, not even realizing that Nurse Fiona had entered with a new patient attached to her arm. Upon witnessing the young woman's nervousness and sudden fear, Nurse Fiona gently rubbed her arms softly, trying her best to comfort the young woman and to calm her down, which slowly caused the young woman to calm down, relaxing her tenses muscles, still clutched to the female nurse's arm. Nurse Fiona gazed down at her apologetically, but was the first to speak.

"Honey, how about I get you some food, would you like that?" Nurse Fiona offered gently. The young woman slowly gazed up at her, and shook her head slowly which immediately brought her comfort, as the female nurse gently guided her throughout the bright cafeteria that was covered in florescent lights shining down upon everyone, making their way to the food counter, with Nurse Fiona murmuring softly to the lady behind the counter, retrieving Mulan's tray of food as they both made their way to an isolated table, gently setting the tray on plastic table as the female nurse carefully sat the young woman down on the chair, slowly adjusting her body onto to plastic chair as she pushed herself closer to her food, her eyes staring down and not making the slightest bit of eye contact with anyone. Finally, Nurse Fiona began to speak.

"Enjoy your food, sweetie. And remember, no one will hurt you, okay? I'll be right across the hall if you need me" Nurse Fiona said gently while smiling softly down at the young woman. Mulan gazed up at the female nurse standing above her, as she nodded, which meant 'thank you'. Nurse Fiona slowly began to make her way to the doors as she disappeared and was gone in an instant.

With that, the young woman gazed down at her meal, with freshly cut carrots on one side, a tender piece of oven warm chicken with gravy spilled all over it on another and some warm mashed potatoes with green peas in the middle, which was enough to cause a low grumble to erupt from Mulan's stomach, a growl that meant that she was hungry, her mouth beginning to water in delight as she slowly took her fork and began to dig right into her meal, inhaling every sweet taste of the food, satisfying her empty and hungry stomach while at the same time, enjoying the isolation from all the other patients, who were also devouring their food in hunger, feeling as though they haven't eaten a well home-cooked meal in months.

As much as Mulan was terrified of being away from home, she couldn't help but slowly begin to feel somewhat comfort of being in this place, to get help for her problems, well of course problems that she did not she was suffering from, but of course she does miss sitting on her window sill, allowing the warm hot sun to reflect its way down onto her cold glass window, letting the brightness shine down on her face, instantly causing warm butterflies to flutter inside her stomach, a soft smile appearing on her face, continuously being able to watch all the little kids in the small village play outside the warm sweet air amongst themselves, with the elderly enjoying their stroll down the small narrow streets.

Instantly, the thoughts of being back home in China was enough to suddenly begin to trigger her thoughts and her illness, her mind immediately going back to having those tragic and brutal nightmares, having to wake up screaming at the top of her lungs in the middle of the night, cowering in a corner away from her mother and her grandmother, shaken and terrified to even go near them, and most importantly, the thought of her father, her own father turning his back on her, just the way he looked at her, his face filled with so much hatred and disgust brought tears to her eyes, not to mention, her own father demanding to kick her out of the house along with the rest of her family, her house where that was the only place she felt secure and safe, even if she did react differently to her family, but that wasn't her fault of having to be exposed to those power hungry men hidden in armours, brutally attacking and assaulting her in every single way. Having your own family send you off to a place that was so far away from home, a place that she never knew was enough to suddenly begin to make her have resentment towards every single family member, hatred, and most importantly, betrayal.

Instantly, the young woman shook her head in fear as she snapped back to reality and continued on finishing her meal, so caught up in enjoying her food that she was completely oblivious to everyone around her until all of sudden as she was just about to take the last bite of her meal, the sound of two little voices caught her attention. Slowly, she dropped her fork down to her plate as her eyes scanned around the medium sized cafeteria, searching for that strange voice that filled her ears, her eyes still continuously roaming in every single patients' direction until they finally landed on not one, but two figures, her ears immediately catching the sound that interrupted her from finishing her meal, landing on two young girls who looked like they were in the early or mid-teens. One girl had long medium golden blonde hair, which was tied back in black headband, looking around the age of thirteen of fourteen, remaining in her long white patients' gown while the other girl had rather short shoulder length brown hair, tied back in pony tail with her little round brunette curls sticking out from the back, looking around the age of fifteen or sixteen as she too remained her in white patients' gown. The young woman continued to keep her eyes fixed on them, staring at the two blankly as she witnessed the two teenage girls who happened to be either talking to each other…or talking to nothing but mid-air?

Confused and somewhat startled, it wasn't long until Mulan suddenly began to witness and hear yelling and screaming that erupted from the two teenage girls, instantly causing her eyes to widen in terror as she witnessed the two shouting at nothing but mid-air, as if they were seeing someone that absolutely no one else could see, which was enough to startle the other remaining patients as they all turned their gazes onto the two crazy teenaged girls, who were continuously punching, screaming, yelling and kicking in mid-air, their loud voices mixing and chorusing simultaneously with one another's, as tears of fright began to race down both their soft cheeks, both beginning to quickly make their way into the corner of the room and crouched their bodies down, shaking violently as they continued to scream, almost if they something or someone was trying to harm them, the both of them trying their best to protect and defend themselves, yelling in terror.

Upon witnessing this, this immediately caused the young woman to begin trembling, her whole body shaking violently, her lips quivering in fright, trying her hardest to just scramble up from her seat and dash out the doors, but instead, she couldn't, her whole body felt as it was still glued to the plastic chair, continuously shaking but unable to move, seeing those two girls cowering in a corner was enough to bring back those horrible memories, the memories of replacing those girls with none other than herself cowering in a corner, her body trembling as if anyone was trying to hurt her, remembering those brutal and tragic thoughts. _"Who are they talking to and why are they so scared?" _Mulan asked herself nervously, still keeping her gaze on the two teenage girls. All of sudden, the sound of heavy soft hurried footsteps erupted from the other side of the doors, running quickly as they pushed their way through the doors, hurriedly making their way to the two teenage girls who had their knees hugged to their chests, which was enough to slowly begin to bring comfort to the young woman, a deep and calming sigh escaping from her mouth as seeing the sight of those familiar white coats began to calm her down, all the nurses crowding around the two terrified teenage girls. The young woman, trying her best no to eavesdrop, could hear the murmurs coming from the two patients, as the doctors began to question them gently.

"Alice, Wendy, what has happened this time?" A female nurse asked the two gently as she helped them off from the ground.

"I-We…..we saw that mean scary person again!" Alice wailed in panic as she gripped onto the nurse's jacket.

"What scary person, dear?" Another female nurse asked softly, gently patting Alice on the back.

"T-that same scary person who keeps trying to hurt us!" Wendy cried in terror, now beginning to sob heavily. "He-he keeps saying that he's going to kill the both of us!" The nurses all exchanged glances with one another worriedly, as they all sighed sadly, gazing down at the two frightened young girls as their bodies were trembling.

"Wendy and Alice, I think it's time that we brought you two up to your rooms now, okay?" Another nurse suggested gently as the two girls nodded quickly in agreement, clutching desperately onto the nurses' jackets as they all made their way out through the cafeteria doors, instantly disappearing in an instant. The young woman kept her brown eyes glued to the door as this began to calm her down. A soft sigh escaped from her mouth as she quickly scooped her last bite of her meal, enjoying the sweet taste of the tender chicken with gravy, instantly beginning to gulp down her cranberry juice, gulping heavily as she was enjoying the sweet taste of the artificial sugared flavour on of cranberry dancing on her taste buds, when all of a sudden, a voice startled her, a voice that belonged to a young man, which nearly made her choke on her juice as her eyes came face-to-face with the person standing above her, a person whom she's never seen or spoke to before in her life. He was tall, a height of 5'10, he had a toned muscular body that was pretty much showing through his white fitted t-shirt and his black silky smooth hair was tied up at the back, a small but gentle nervous smile spread across his face, revealing his perfectly sparkly white teeth, opening his mouth to speak.

"Um….hi there….I-I've never seen you before…..you must be new here…" The young man said nervously, keeping his curious gaze on the young woman below him, her hands beginning to tremble as she kept her eyes straight down on her bare feet, not making the slightest bit of eye contact, not even a single word came from her mouth. Awkward silence filled the air between the two, and the next thing Mulan knew, the sound of the plastic chair scratching against the marble cold floor was enough to make her body begin to shake, her hands still trembling as the young man slowly shifted his weight onto the plastic chair, the young woman was able to feel his warm gaze upon her as this brought ice cool shivers travelling up her spine, continuously keeping her gaze on her bare feet, until the young man cleared his throat nervously and began to speak softly.

"I-I'm sorry…my name is Shang…..am I scaring you?" The young man asked Mulan gently, slowly beginning to witness Mulan's constant trembling and shaking. Shang let out a nervous sigh, a sigh in sympathy as his brown eyes roamed apologetically over the young woman, slowly inhaling a deep breath before he spoke again.

"What's your name? How come you're here? How come you're not speaking?" Shang asked nervously, but gently. Upon hearing these questions being thrown at the young woman all at once, at this point, the young woman suddenly burst into tears, covering her face with her hands in embarrassment as she sobbed heavily, which was enough to cause every gaze in the cafeteria to land right onto her, tears racing down her face one by one as her cheeks began to turn bright red and puffy from all the crying, beginning to hiccup violently. Upon witnessing the young woman's sudden change in emotion, the young man slowly lifted his body up from the table, his face softening as a wave of hurt and fear washed over his face, staring down apologetically at the young woman. Seeing her cry was enough to cause extreme amount of guilt to form inside of him, as he decided to take a few tentative steps back away from her, realizing how terrible frightened the young woman is, his nervous gaze still fixed gently on the crying young woman across from him. Feeling his presence away from her was enough for Mulan to slowly begin to calm down, tears still racing down her face. Shang hesitated at first as he sucked in a deep breath and finally let it out.

"You see how far apart we are right now…does that still scare you?" He asked gently, as the young woman nervously but quickly shook her head, her eye still shut tight as more tears cascaded down her cheeks, her head still kept down to the ground. The young man put his head down in shame, his gaze fixed on the marble floor, careful to make eye contact, or any type of contact that might startle or frighten the young woman even more than she is already feeling. Finally, he managed to open his mouth to speak again, as he carefully let his gaze rest onto her, his eyes pleading.

"You see this, I guess I can work with this for the time being, if this is space is all you can deal with, then I have no choice but to respect your personal boundaries" Shang explained gently. "But right now, all I'm asking is for you to trust me, do you think you can do that?" He asked softly, his voice desperate and pleading. At this point, the young woman just softly shook her head; eyes still closed tightly shut, tears racing down her cheeks one by one as she suddenly jumped up from the table, leaving her empty tray on the plastic table as she quickly dashed past the young man, startling and shocking him as he whipped his whole body around, his eyes widening in shock, hurt filling inside of him. At this point and after witnessing the terrified young woman so scared and frightened of him, the young man slowly dropped to his knees, tears of hurt and regret and remorse filling his eyes as he began to pound both his hard and muscular fists into the hard, marble floor, causing his knuckles to turn black and purple as he continuously punched the ground, gritting his teeth as more tears raced down his face, the sound of hearing his loud grunting and his loud fists smacking hard against the floor was enough to startle everyone as they all began to cower in the corner, fear creeping inside of them.

Mulan continued running throughout the hallway, her bare feet padding against the cold floor, racing past everyone, desperate to get away from anyone, even the nurses as she dashed past Nurse Fiona, who just so happened to be making her way to check on the young woman back in the cafeteria. Upon witnessing this, the female nurse began to sprint after the young woman, her voice calling out her name desperately, begging her to stop, but the young woman refused to listen as she ignored every loud word that was escaping from the female nurse's voice, finally being able to find her way towards the stairwell as she quickly climbed up the stairs, made it to her Claus trophic bedroom, immediately slamming the door closed shut, locking the door as she immediately jumped onto the rough bed, throwing the thin covers over her whole trembling body so that her head was still exposed as she began to nervously rock back and forth, her breathing quickening, frightened and terrified as the thoughts continued to run through her mind.

"_Why can't everyone just leave me alone?" _The young woman asked herself in fear and frustration. _"More importantly, why that guy being so nice to me? What does he want from me?" _She asked herself again desperately as all these thoughts continued to overflow her mind. Suddenly, the young woman jumped at the sudden sound of hearing that same soft knock from the other side of her door, realizing that it belonged to Nurse Fiona.

"Mulan, sweetie, are you alright? What happened?" Nurse Fiona asked frantically, panic filling her tone. The young woman simply shook her head as she closed her eyes shut, tears racing down her cheeks.

"Go away!" The young woman yelled in fear, beginning to sob heavily. A sigh escaped from the female nurse's mouth.

"Honey, I know you're terribly frightened right now, but how about I come in and-" Before Nurse Fiona could finish, the young woman interrupted her, digging her nails into her scalp in fear and frustration.

"Just go away and leave me alone!" Mulan cried desperately, as she continued to sob, hiccupping violently. Another deep sigh escaped from the female nurse's mouth as she immediately gave up, clearly out any more suggestions or ideas to get the young woman out of her room. She decided to leave her alone, as she thought it would be best if she stayed in her room for a while, since this was only her first day here, which would take time to progress. The sound of the female nurse's footsteps slowly began to make their down the stairs, as this began to calm Mulan down, tears still racing down her cheeks as she slowly lowered body down onto the rough mattress, pulling the covers over her face, hugging herself tightly and securely, her eye lids beginning to flutter softly, as they closed shut completely, falling into a deep sleep.

0-0-0

Morning had finally come as the bright sun slowly raised from its peak, allowing the birds to chirp and sing excitedly with one another. The bright sun slowly glazed its way through the young woman's bedroom, spilling through the stained glass window as the yellow sun lightly hit her face, which caused Mulan to slowly lift her eye lids open, gently and slowly bringing the covers down from her head as she hesitantly lifted her body up from the mattress, a big but silent yawn escaping from her mouth as she raised her arms and stretched every muscle in her body, barely giving her anytime to herself when all of a sudden, a soft knock on the door was enough to startle her, jumping at the sound, clutching the thin covers around her tightly, still remaining in her white gown that clung to her body.

"Mulan, sweetie, are you awake?" Nurse Fiona's voice called softly from the other side of the door. The young woman slowly nodded her head, still clutching the covers around her.

"Y-yes….." Mulan croaked nervously as a sigh of relief escaped from Nurse Fiona's mouth.

"May I come in?" The female nurse asked gently, calmly. Hesitantly, the young woman sucked in a deep breath, her body beginning to shake as she nodded her head.

"Y-yes…..y-you may….." The young woman said quietly as Nurse Fiona carefully began to unlock the door from the outside, slowly peeking her head inside the room as the rest of her made their way inside, a soft reassuring smile was spread across her face as she stood by the doorway, her gaze carefully roaming over the young woman sitting on her bed, hesitating at first, but she began to speak.

"I noticed there was a bit of commotion that happened yesterday at lunch time, between you and another young man, am I right?" The female nurse asked softly. At this point, the young woman's face went from beat red, to a pale white, her breathing quickening at the sound of hearing this, causing her body to tremble at the memory of seeing that guy standing above her, making eye contact with her, trying to talk to her, just the sight of him and hearing his voice was enough to cause tears to race down the woman's face, as she put her head down in shame and nodded. Upon seeing this, a sigh of sympathy escaped from Nurse Fiona's mouth as she carefully made her way to closer towards Mulan, kneeling by her bedside as gently reached her hand and rubbed the young woman's trembling arm with her soft hand.

"It's okay honey, don't cry, you don't have to be embarrassed" The female nurse said gently. "That young man's name is Shang. Believe me sweetie, he is a harmless guy and he would never harm a hair on anyone." Nurse Fiona explained softly, only to have the young woman cry even harder as the female nurse began to realize that just by saying his name was enough to trigger Mulan's emotions.

"But if you'd prefer for him to stay away from you, then I guess we'll do everything in our power to keep him away from you, how does that sound?" The female nurse suggested gently. Upon hearing this, this brought calmness to the young woman as the crying began to die down slowly, nodding her head in approval, tears still streaming slowly down her soft cheeks. A soft smile appeared on Nurse Fiona's face as she took her hand with Mulan's, gently guiding her out of the room, bringing her down the stairs slowly as she guided her to the cafeteria to get some breakfast, with the young woman still clutching desperately onto the female nurse's arm as they finally found their way to the cafeteria, entering just in time to see the rest of the patients enjoying their delicious meal.

As usual, Nurse Fiona guided the young woman through the cafeteria, retrieved her meal and sat in the exact same place where she sat yesterday, isolated, away from everyone, immediately beginning to dig right into her meal.

0-0-0

Breakfast had finally ended and all of the remaining patients scattered their way out of the cafeteria, some headed back upstairs to their rooms, others had to attended their own private therapy sessions while the rest of them isolated themselves with their own favourite activities they enjoyed to occupy themselves with. The young woman shyly made her way out of the cafeteria, keeping her head down, staring straight at the ground as she slowly began to make her way to the living room, where it was nice and quiet and no one was there to claim the area, keeping her head down, completely oblivious as to who was around her, until all of sudden, she landed smack into another individual, sending the both of them flying down the ground, both groaning in pain as they nursed their sore heads from the hard bump. Slowly, Mulan's brown eyes came in contact with another young woman, her big brown eyes widening in terror, her palms sweating and her breathing quickening. The young woman must have been around the same age as Mulan or a bit older, with her long wavy soft brown chestnut hair flowing down past her shoulders, her face was pale, her cheeks sunken and she also remained wearing that same white thin patients' gown that fell just above her ankles. The two women kept their eye locked on each other for a few minutes, both of them shaking and trembling, until the brunette young woman quickly scrambled up off the ground, grabbing onto her book as she instantly sprinted down the hall, the sounds of her bare feet padding against the cold floor as she quickly made her way up the stairs, with Mulan's gaze remaining glued onto her back in fear. All of sudden, she snapped back to reality as a hand gently grasping her shoulder startled her, her body trembling as she quickly cowered into the corner, hugging her knees to her chest, her whole beginning to shake.

"I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to scare you…." Another young woman said sheepishly, her green emerald eyes trained curiously on the young woman, which was enough to cause her to tremble even more, hugging her knees tighter to her chest as she slowly began to rock her body back and forth. From what this young woman looked like, she had dark skin with gorgeous raven black hair, wearing a pink headband around her head, she looked at least a year or two older than Mulan, remaining in the exact same clothing as Mulan was currently wearing. The woman sighed gently as she slowly but hesitantly crawled her way over to Mulan curiously, with the young woman cowering deeper into the corner away from her.

"You don't have to be afraid me, I won't hurt you" The woman promised gently, reaching her hand out to Mulan, only to have her look curiously down at the woman's hand in front of her. At first, the young woman hesitated but slowly, she unwound her arms from her knees, beginning to relax her tight and tense muscles, slowly lifting her little hand and grasping it with the woman's hand gently as she slowly lifted her body off the cold ground, her brown eyes meeting the woman's emerald ones. Awkward silence filled the air between the two young woman, but finally, the woman was able the first to break the silence.

"I'm Esmeralda by the way, it's nice to meet you. What's your name?" Esmeralda asked curiously, gently, waiting patiently for an answer. The young woman kept her head down, staring down at her feet, but for the first time, words began to spill out of her mouth.

"M-Mulan….." The young woman mumbled nervously as she slowly lifted her head up to look at the woman standing above her. A soft smile spread across Esmeralda's face as she nodded in encouragement.

"It's nice to meet you Mulan. I saw that you bumped into Belle and I saw you sitting there on the ground, I thought I'd offer to help you, if that was okay" Esmeralda explained, only to have Mulan slowly nod her head.

"Um….it was fine….I guess…..that girl's name is Belle?" Mulan asked curiously only to have Esmeralda nod her head.

"Yeah that was Belle alright. Word on the street is, she is suffering from this disorder called Avoidant Personality Disorder" Esmeralda explained as she shifted her weight onto the soft warm couch. Curious, Mulan furrowed her brow in confusion as she hesitantly followed Esmeralda, slowly adjusting her weight onto the same couch next to her.

"W-what's…..Avoidant Personality Disorder?" The young woman asked innocently. The woman smiled softly as she continued on with her explanation.

"It means that she has a serious fear of being around people or engaging in social events. I don't really know much about her but I think she's probably been bullied her whole life" Esmeralda explained sadly, a rush of sympathy filling inside her as she was beginning to feel sorry for the young woman. The young woman slowly nodded, as she too began to feel sorry for her, having to fear being around lots of people, scared of what people might think of her. The thought instantly brought her back to those memories, the memories of her avoiding everyone in her family, scared to go near them with thought of being them harming her, but she knew deep down her family would do no such thing, well at least her mother and grandmother wouldn't. Instantly, Mulan snapped back to reality as she fixed her gaze the woman sitting beside her, hesitating but finally building up the courage to let it out.

"W-who were those two girls in the cafeteria yesterday…..y-you know….the ones that were screaming and yelling at nothing…?" The young woman asked curiously, which immediately began to make Esmeralda tense up, inhaling deeply and finally being able to exhale, almost as if the question had scared her subtly.

"That was Wendy and Alice. They're here because supposedly they're Schizophrenic. They're both sisters and they both claim that this scary man is out to harm them" Esmeralda explained. "Believe me, they scare everyone because one it's like one minute, they're quiet and talking to each other but then the next, they're both screaming at nothing but mid-air" The woman added in, only to have the young woman slowly begin to tremble, shivering at the memory of seeing those two girls screaming and shouting, which instantly began to trigger Mulan's emotions.

"M-mind me asking…..how come you're here?" Mulan asked gently, keeping her voice a whisper, not wanting anyone to hear her. The woman immediately began to tense up even more as this also began to make her body tremble, as she gently shut her eyes, letting tears escape from her eyes, sniffling and sucking in a deep breath and slowly exhaled as she began to confess.

"T-they say I'm suffering from…..f-from…..A-Anorexia…." The woman croaked as she softly burst into tears. Upon seeing this, Mulan couldn't help but stare at Esmeralda in awe and in shock, her eyes widening, her mouth hanging open in shock and hurt, a giant blob of guilt beginning to form insider her body, immediately beginning to feel sorry for her, regretting ever asking that question.

"I-I'm sorry….I didn't mean to…" The young woman pleaded desperately, tears beginning to race down her cheeks at the sight of seeing Esmeralda with tears racing down her cheeks. Slowly, the woman was able to calm down, collecting herself together as she wiped the tears from her face, sniffling.

"It's alright…I just get….very emotional when I talk about it, or even mention it" The woman croaked, turning her gaze back to Mulan, her cheeks still puffy and stained with dry tears, the two women keeping their gazes locked on another. Usually when it comes to meeting new people-especially under the condition she's in-Mulan does her best to avoid any kind of conversation with anyone, fearing that they might in any way harm her, after having to being experience the traumatic event, but with Esmeralda, Mulan found herself rather slowly beginning to grow fond her, subtly beginning to feel a rush of comfort around her, aside from her mother and grandmother. But of course, she didn't want to jump to conclusions or rush into anything too quickly as she was still trying to work her way up to that.

As the two women sat in silence, the sudden voice from the Nurse Helen interrupted them from their thoughts, startling them.

"Esmeralda dear, you're therapy session starts in five minutes, okay?" Nurse Helen reminded her carefully as the woman nodded. "And Mulan, Nurse Fiona would like to see you in her office right now" Nurse Helen added gently, only to have the young woman nod nervously as she lifted her weight off the couch and instantly rushed towards Nurse Helen's side, turning her head and sheepishly waving goodbye to Esmeralda as the two women made their down the hallway, Mulan clutching onto Nurse Helen desperately, her eyes roaming all over the hospital with the bright florescent lights shining down on them as they finally made their way down the hall, around the corner and approached Nurse Fiona's small little office. Nurse Helen gazed down at the young woman, who was still clutched onto her arm, gently stroking her hair in comfort.

"Here we are dear, you can go in now" Nurse Helen said gently, the young woman nodding slowly as she unwound her hands from Nurse Helen's arm, sucking in a deep breath as she grasped her hand around the cold silver knob, slowly twisting it open as she made her way inside the office, closing the door shut.

**What did you think? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions by reviewing!:) This little shout out goes to my very good friend, supersmashkingdomhearts1999 for encouraging me and supporting me no matter what! Also, I would to send out a special thank you to my reviewers, Suzerenma and Scooter12345. You guys are the best and thank you so much for the kind words and your encouraging reviews. Anyways, next chapter features Meg. Don't forget to R&R! Thanks guys!**


	6. Megara: May 11th

**Chapter 6: Megara, May 11****th**

Another day has passed and it was yet another dreary day. Rather than it being all rainy and gloomy, instead it was rather cloudy, with a little peak of the yellow sunlight that slightly spilled gently from the grayish and bluish sky. Right now, every single patient was yet again, enjoying another home-cooked meal in the cafeteria, all except for one individual in particular.

The twenty-one year old young woman, Meg, was currently sitting in her little room, alone, her knees hugged to her chest as her violet coloured eyes stared out through the cold stained glass window, her brow furrowed in fury, her soft hands nursing her now throbbing arm that had just received a sharp, painful needle stuck inside it as she continued to tend the pain, a sigh in pain escaping from her mouth, her thoughts lingering back to having to see those three nurses surround her in the examining room, making her strip down to her underwear and being forced to wear this patients' gown, not to mention, having that sharp needle being pierced through her skin was enough to make the young woman's blood boil. She never wanted to be here, she never wanted to come here, and it definitely didn't help having the nurses touch her or lay a hand on her. She hated it when people whom she did not know would touch her without her permission. Having all of their hands being thrown at her was enough to trigger her 'don't touch me' policy.

As the young woman continued to remain sulking on her bed in patients' gown, her mind lingered back to her parents, having them ship their only daughter off to mental hospital to get help, without her permission, heck it didn't seem like she even had a choice in the first place, but if one thing was for sure she would admit, this whole thing was all Adonis' fault. He put her here, he's the one who made her so insecure with the way she looked, especially with the way her body looked, hearing his voice and his crude words echoing the words 'fat' and 'worthless fat skank', immediately caused the young woman to shiver in pain, tears beginning to race down her cheeks, but a frown remain plastered on her face. After about a few minutes, the sound of the door knocking from the other side of her room was enough to startle her, interrupting her from her thoughts as she whipped her head around so fast, almost causing whip lash, her scowl still plastered on the door.

"Who is it?" The bitter young woman demanded harshly, still scowling on the door. All that could be heard was a deep and nervous sigh from the other side.

"Meg dear, it's Nurse Helen" The female nurse said gently, her voice pleading. Upon hearing this, the young woman couldn't help but scoff in reply, rolling her teary eyes.

"Go away" Meg replied bitterly, tears still racing down her cheeks. Another sigh was heard from the other side as it escaped from the female nurse's mouth.

"Dear, can I at least come in and talk to you for a bit?" Nurse Helen asked gently. Another scoff escaped from the young woman's mouth.

"What is there to talk about? Haven't you already jabbed a needle in my arm enough already?" The young woman said sarcastically, focusing her attention back on the view outside the fingerprint stained glass window.

"Sweetie, may I please come inside for just a second?" The female nurse asked gently. The young woman rolled her violet eyes, clearly she wasn't going to give up, or in fact leave her alone. A deep sigh in frustration escaped from Meg's mouth.

"Fine" Meg replied solemnly, still keeping her gaze on the view outside, the door hinges squeaking open to reveal Nurse Helen slowly and hesitantly making her way inside the young woman's claustrophobic room, her worried and sympathetic gaze fixed on the young woman sitting across from her as a nervous sigh escaped from her mouth.

"Look, sweetie I know how you're feeling right now and-" Nurse Helen began, only to be cut off by a bitter and irritated Meg, as she whipped her around and scowled at the female nurse, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"No you don't. You don't know what I've been through; neither of you people knows how I'm really feeling right now. I don't want to be here, okay?" The young woman replied bitterly, her lips quivering as she sniffled, wiping her tears from her eyes as she turned and focused her attention back on the view. Another sigh escaped from the female nurse's mouth, a sigh of sympathy, slowly kneeling down by the bedside.

"Meg, listen to me. I know that you don't want to be here and to be honest, neither of the other patients want to be trapped in here either, but one thing you have in common with them is the fact that they all need serious help, including you. Sweetie, all we want to do is to help you, and right now, I can't seem to do that if you don't trust me" The female nurse explained gently, only to have the young woman scoff in reply.

"Give me one good reason as to why I should trust _any _of you people here?" Meg replied harshly, slowly turning her head, scowling at the woman kneeling beside her bedside, another deep sigh escaping from the nurse's mouth, keeping her gaze fixed on her.

"I promise you, I will do everything in my power to get you the help you need. Right now, I need you to really trust me; do you think you can do that?" Nurse Helen asked gently, carefully, searching for an answer. As much as Meg did not fully trust her, she couldn't but somewhat warm up to her, after all, she was the most gentle out of all three nurses. Slowly, she adjusted her head to gaze at the female nurse, as more tears spilled down her cheeks, hesitantly nodding her head slowly as she sucked in a deep breath, which instantly put a soft smile on Nurse Helen's face.

"I really appreciate it dear. Now why don't you come with me and we can get you something to eat?" Nurse Helen suggested as she softly reached out her hand to the young woman. At first, Meg was sceptical about it, as she continuously stared at the female nurse's hand for a good two minutes, clearly not wanting any sort of physical contact with a complete stranger. Upon witnessing this and finally getting the hint, the female nurse smiled nervously as she sheepishly pulled her hand back.

"I guess I can lead you the way while you follow behind me" Nurse Helen said sheepishly as she lifted her weight of the chair and began to make her way to the door, turning her head as she waited for the young woman to follow. At first, Meg was sceptical as she continued to keep her curious gaze on the female nurse, but finally she slowly lifted her weight off the rough mattress and immediately began to follow behind Nurse Helen's heels, following her out of the room and heading straight down the stairs.

0-0-0

The two women made their way down the quiet hall, with bitter young woman crossing her arms over her chest as Nurse Helen guided her down the now quiet and deserted hall towards the cafeteria, careful not to make any physical contact between the both of them. The halls were strangely quiet, which of course puzzled the young woman, furrowing her brow in confusion as her violet coloured eyes glazed over the building, landing on the solid painted forest green walls, having to be locked and trapped in this place for three to five months was enough to furrow her brow from confusion to instant anger, filled with pain and betrayal. Careful and not wanting the female nurse to witness her silent change in attitude, she decided to quietly suck in a deep breath, inhaling deeply through her nostrils and exhaled slowly, allowing every single emotion and tension begin to pour out of her system, her tensed muscles beginning to slowly calm down and relax, right just until she was already standing outside the dishevelled doors, the doors that led to the cafeteria on the other side. Meg continued to keep her sour, but curious eyes on the doors, waiting for Nurse Helen to signal when it was okay and safe to enter.

The middle aged woman turned her head to gaze at the young woman, a soft reassuring smile appearing on her face.

"Here we are, dear" The woman said gently as she pushed open the doors and made her way inside, with the young woman following closely at her heels, her bitter eyes roaming all over the cafeteria, landing on the hungry patients enjoying their meals, not making the slightest movement as to hearing the sound of the doors opening, completely oblivious.

"Follow me, honey, I'll get your food for you" Nurse Helen said gently, making her way over to the food counter, of course, the bitter young woman decided not to follow this time, her gaze glued to the female nurse's back as she watched her take the order for her meal, scoffing silently and rolling her eyes, clearly she wasn't hungry at all, but then again, these people are like hawks in their own way, so it's not she had much of a choice in a place like this. As Nurse Helen continued ordering, Meg decided to use this as an advantage to keep a close and careful eye on every single other patient in this place, not wanting them to even make the slightest bit of eye contact or any kind of physical contact with her, scowling hard. It wasn't long until a sudden voice interrupted the young woman from her thoughts, an angry voice that belonged to a very unhappy young man.

"You're in my way" The young man said angrily through his gritted teeth, clenching his knuckles at his sides, which instantly startled the young woman as she jumped at hearing his sudden voice, seeing his angry face scrunched up so violently, his whole muscular body was beginning to tremble, his veins literally popped out through his pale skin, his long auburn hair was tied on a low pony-tail, with his fitted with t-shirt that clung to his muscular chest. At this point and seeing this guy so angry, the young woman couldn't help but begin to feel somewhat intimidated by him, not to mention, fear washing over her face, but she continued to keep her brow furrowed in anger.

"P-pardon me….?" Was all she managed to say softly, quietly. At this point, the young woman standing just inches away from her began to inhale and exhale deeply, grunting as his pale face began to turn a shade of beat red, causing everyone in the cafeteria to immediately stop what they were doing and hide in their own isolated corners, shaking and trembling.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" The young man roared ever so loudly, dropping and slamming his tray onto the marble ground, which instantly began to make Meg's whole body shake and tremble, her mouth dropped open and her violet eyes widening in terror as she quickly obeyed his orders, dashing past him and raced over to Nurse Helen, instantly throwing herself behind the middle aged woman's back, clutching onto her waist, shaking and trembling violently, keeping her gaze away from him. Upon hearing his sudden roaring erupting from inside of him, immediately two male doctors burst through the doors and made their way towards the angry and screaming young man, trying to calm him down.

"Adam, this is the third time this week already, you have to start attending your anger management classes regularly" A male doctor explained gently, trying to calm the young man down.

"But that girl was in my way!" Adam roared angrily as he pointed his large finger in the young woman's direction, quickly shielding herself deeper behind Nurse Helen's back, the middle aged woman moving the rest of her protectively behind her back, grabbing hold of her arm gently, as she slowly opened her mouth to speak.

"Look Robert, it was just a big misunderstanding. It wasn't Meg's intention to cause a ruckus" Nurse Helen explained gently, her voice was firm. A sigh in understanding escaped from Robert's mouth as he nodded his head, turning his attention back to the young man, who still had his angry glare glued to the frightened and hidden young woman, gritting his teeth.

"Alright, now Adam, why don't you come with me to my office for a little while?" Doctor Robert suggested reassuringly.

"She better not be there, if she is, I'm going to kill her!" Adam roared, his pale face was now the shade of blood red. "You hear that girly, I will kill you if you come near me again! I will kill you!" With that, Doctor Robert along with the other male doctor immediately grabbed hold of Adam's arms, dragging him outside the cafeteria, with a firm and strong grasp around his arms to prevent him from lunging at the frightened young woman. Finally, he was gone, the rest of the patients all poking their heads out slowly, careful to make sure that he was gone, a sigh of relief escaped from Nurse Helen's mouth as she slowly turned her head to gaze down at the frightened young woman behind her, clutching onto her waist desperately, her hands beginning to tremble on the fabric of her white nurse's jacket, peeking over her shoulder to make sure the coast was clear, sighing in relief and closing her eyes shut, careful not to let tears escape from her eyes.

"It's okay sweetie, I promise I won't let him come near you or even touch you" The middle aged woman said gently, her tone reassuring, but Meg just simply pretended to shake it off, as if she wasn't at all afraid.

"I'm not scared. I can probably handle him on my own" The young woman mumbled stubbornly behind the middle aged woman, only to have a soft chuckle escape from the female nurse's mouth, a smirk on her face.

"Really? Is that why you're currently still clutching onto my waist?" Nurse Helen said softly with a hint of sarcasm to her tone. Instantly, Meg's eyes then landed on her hands, her knuckles had gone ghost white as she realized she still had her small hands gripping the nurse's jacket tightly, sheepishly and slowly releasing her tight grasp from Nurse Helen's waist, crossing her arms over her chest as she continued to frown, lowering her head, keeping her eyes on her bare feet.

"Force of habit" Meg mumbled sheepishly, still keeping her gaze on her feet. Another soft chuckle escaped from the middle aged woman's mouth as she guided the young woman to an isolated table away from everyone, which began to make Meg begin to feel somewhat better, knowing that no one was going to be around her, or even gaze at her while she eats, plus to her, it would be the perfect opportunity to sneak out of the cafeteria while no one else is looking to quickly head to washroom afterwards. Nurse Helen gently sat the young woman's tray of food on the plastic table, as Meg plopped her weight onto the plastic chair, frowning down at the meal in front of her, instantly beginning to think to herself that this was definitely not going to be enough food for her to consume and to purge afterwards, thinking that she would most likely be going up for seconds, possibly thirds to help. The middle aged woman gently cleared her throat, interrupting the young woman's thoughts, instantly being forced to snap back to reality, her violet eyes staring up at Nurse Helen through the screen of her lashes. Finally, Nurse Helen began to speak.

"I hope this is enough for you honey" The nurse said softly. "Enjoy your meal, I'm right across the hall if you need me" With that, Meg just simply nodded, her arms still crossed over her chest, her sour gaze still fixed on the meal that was set down in front of her, as the middle aged woman smiled reassuringly, slowly making her way out of the cafeteria through the dishevelled doors. The young woman continued to gaze at her food, which was nothing but fresh corn, roasted ham and some mashed potatoes with gravy spread all over it. The young woman had to admit, the food did look delicious, and it did smell insanely good, the warm smell ticking her nose, making her mouth water in hunger. Part of her just wanted to just shove the entire tray of food down her throat and dash up for seconds, but part of her definitely did not want anyone else witnessing a person like her eating and devouring her food like such a pig, but she couldn't help it, she was used to it, she had been for two years, which was what she usually did back at home. Suddenly, the thought of home began to interrupt her thoughts.

If it was one thing Meg would admit, it would be the fact that she missed wandering around the dry streets of Greece, letting the warm sun spill down on her, being alone, being able to think to herself, but at the same time, the instant thoughts of Adonis began to fill her mind. The thought of seeing his face, his smile, his well-built physique, not to mention, hearing his cruel words echoing throughout her head, those same words that haunted her was enough to bring tears to her eyes, silently spilling down her cheeks, her lips quivering as she wiped the tears from her face. How could he do this to her? How could he say that she was fat and worthless? Was she really that ugly and not….beautiful at all? And how could he just break up with her like that, in her own home, in front of her parents so sudden and so blunt? _"What a selfish, low-life and disgusting jerk!" _She thought angrily and bitterly to herself, and of course, the thought of her parents filled her mind, which immediately began to make the young woman clench her fists tight, possibly drawing blood from her hands as she tried her hardest not to blow up, her fingers trembling, her face scrunching up into a tighter and firmer glare. How could the two people she loved dearly and trusted her whole life betray her? How could do they just send her to this place, especially without her permission? The young woman scoffed in disgust to herself as she mentally began to push those hurtful and painful thoughts from her head as she instantly dug into her meal, slowly and carefully inhaling every taste of the delicious meal.

In a matter of seconds, she was already on her last bite of her mashed potatoes, as she gulped down her grape juice, gulping it down so quickly that there was barely any drop left. Wiping her mouth with her napkin, she quickly gazed around the room, making sure no one was looking in her direction as she quietly snuck her way back to the food counter, holding out her tray for more food. At first, she was positive that the woman behind the counter would scowl and shoo her away, but instead, an apologetic smile appeared on the woman's face as she began to fill Meg's tray up with more food, scooping up some more mashed potatoes, with another piece of juicy tender ham and some fresh sweet corn, with another glass of grape juice.

"Poor dear, you must be starving" The mellow woman said from behind the counter. The young woman said nothing but instead, began to blush in embarrassment, a small and nervous smile spread across her face as she quietly made her way back to her isolated table, still, no one had even looked up once from their food, as they were completely oblivious to what was happening around them. With that, a soft sigh of relief escaped from the young woman's mouth as she quietly began to scarf down her food, enjoying every sweet taste of potatoes and the ham dancing on her taste buds, already the plate in front of her was just about empty, taking her last two bites of her meal as she immediately began to gulp down her grape juice, the sweet taste of the grape liquid sliding down her tongue and dancing on her taste buds, finishing every last drop, until everything in front of her was clear, finished, empty. _"Alright, time for thirds, hopefully the woman won't be too hard on me"_ Meg thought to herself as she slowly lifted her weight up off the chair, gripping onto her tray as she gazed around, looking for any sign of wandering eyes in her direction, but thankfully, there was none, all the patients minding their own business. A sigh of relief escaped the young woman's mouth as she focused her attention on the counter that was just a few feet away from her, slowly beginning to make her way over to the counter, her gaze still wandering when all of a sudden, her violet eyes managed to land on one individual, one person who was pretty much isolated from everyone, eating alone in the far corner.

From what Meg could see, he had orange red hair, wearing a thick red band on his head, with big muscles and well-toned and muscular body, his pectorals pretty much showed through his fitted white t-shirt, his face was so perfect and chiselled, if only he smiled, it would make him more irresistible, but instead he looked rather sad, lonely, depressed as he slowly ate his meal alone. The young woman continued to keep her curious gaze on him, frowning in confusion, not being able to tear her eyes away from him as she continued to look him over, curiously. But suddenly, that's when it hit Meg, hard in the gut, her face instantly beginning to soften, as she quickly recognized exactly who the person was. That young man, so lonely and depressed, was none other than her long time and best friend, Hercules, the only guy that she had betrayed back at home. To her, he looked so handsome, but that change the fact how he was probably feeling right now. But what was he doing in this place? She thought to herself curiously. The young woman sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, gently placing her empty tray on the counter as she slowly and hesitantly began to make her way towards his table, her eyes never once leaving him as she watched as he took careful and slow bites of his food, not making even looking up once from his meal. Once Meg finally reached his table, she gently pulled the plastic chair out from the table, and slowly shifted her weight onto the seat, her soft and apologetic gaze still fixed on him. Still, he did not look up from his meal, not giving a care in the world as to who had just approached him. Meg inhaled another deep breath, and slowly exhaled quietly.

"H-hi Hercules…" She managed to say quietly, sheepishly. Instantly, the young man slowly dropped his fork onto his tray of food, slowly lifting his head as his blue eyes met the young woman's violet eyes, the two keeping their gaze locked on one another, his face was full of hurt, pain and betrayal, furrowing his brow in confusion as he continued to stare at the young woman sitting across from him. After a few minutes, the young man spoke.

"Do I know you….?" He asked bitterly, instantly furrowing his brow in anger, which was enough to make Meg even more nervous, as hurt began to fill her eyes, her eyes searching over him, her voice searching for the right words to come out. She blinked twice nervously as she began to speak.

"Herc, it's me….Megara….do you remember me? W-we were…..close friends back home….back in Greece" The young woman said desperately, her voice begging and pleading for him to remember her. How could her forget her? I mean, it has been five years, but five years was enough for him to forget about her, just like that? She thought sadly to herself. At first, she was sure to think that just by hearing her name would at least put a smile on his face, but it turns out she was wrong, as the look on his face instantly tore her apart inside, deeply. Upon hearing that same familiar name, the young man's confusion on his face immediately began to turn into a piercing glare, a wash over hurt and betrayal filling in his eyes, clenching his fists by his sides. Before he could even react, the young woman quickly beat him to it.

"I know I hurt you, bad, Hercules. And I know I broke our promise that we made back when we were younger and I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry for hurting you" Meg confessed sadly, her voice shaking and growing tight, a painful lump beginning to form inside her throat, pleading and begging. Of course, that was not enough to make the young man forgive her so suddenly right then and there.

"You're five years late for that apology" Hercules mumbled angrily, shaking his head as he focused his attention back to his meal. A deep sigh escaped from the woman's mouth.

"Hercules please, all I'm asking is for you to forgive me" The young woman pleaded desperately. "I-I've missed you for these past five years and-" Before she could even finish, immediately the young man cut her off.

"You expect me to forgive you just like that? Thanks to you, these past five years for me have been a living _hell!_ And it took you all these years to realize that you miss me and that you're sorry? For what you've put me through, you owe me a lot more than that!" Hercules shouted harshly, slamming his fist smack hard against the table, which was enough to cause the whole table to shake, beginning to frighten the young woman, thankfully, there were only a few curious eyes wandering over in their direction, but everyone else seemed to ignore the commotion. Instantly and upon hearing this, tears began to well up in Meg's eyes, slowly beginning to spill down her cheek, wiping her tears away as she continued to keep her gaze on the angry young man sitting across from her, trying her hardest not to burst into a fit of tears. Slowly and calmly, she sucked in a deep breath and finally spoke.

"Herc…..I-I'm sorry-" She tried to say, only to be cut off by an angry Hercules.

"What are you even doing in this place anyways? Shouldn't you be with your perfect and beloved, Adonis?" Hercules asked sarcastically, angrily, bitterly with a hint of pain and sadness and betrayal to his tone. Upon hearing this, this instantly began to make more tears spill down Meg's cheeks as she tore her gaze away from Hercules, putting her head down in shame, tears dripping down her cheeks onto the plastic table, creating a tiny little puddle of tears beneath her, not wanting Hercules to see that she was currently crying.

"A-Adonis is the one….who put me in this place…" The young woman whispered, with her head still down, tears still spilling down her cheeks. Upon hearing this, the young man immediately looked up from his plate, his gaze fixed on the young woman in front of him, realizing that he had just made her cry, but of course he knew that a girl like Meg definitely did not want people seeing her cry, which is why she often cries in her room, Hercules knew her all too well, as he was somewhat beginning to feel guilty. At the sound of this, the young man did not like where this was going at all, but he hesitantly opened his mouth to speak.

"What are you talking about? What do you mean he's the one that put you in this place?" Hercules asked beginning to sound worried, his face beginning to soften as he clenched his fist even harder. Finally, the young woman slowly lifted her head up, lifting her gaze to meet his, her cheeks stained with tears as her hands began to tremble, searching for the words that were currently caught inside her throat, but finally, she managed to speak.

"He…he…" Meg began to stutter, her voice shaking, but suddenly, she silently began to sob, remembering every painful word and memory about Adonis, every harsh and hurtful word that had caused her pain and grief, which was enough to make the Hercules grow more worried at the sight of seeing his long-time friend in heavy tears, causing his face soften as he gently grasped his big warm hands with her small ones, rubbing her knuckles with his big thumb.

"What did he do to you, Meg?" Hercules demanded gently, worriedly, searching for an answer. The young woman wiped her tears from her ears, clearing her vision from the tears that blurred her sight and sucked in a deep breath, her mouth quivering but was finally able to let it out.

"He….he would always label me as a 'fat, worthless little skank', and then he would beat me. He…beat me to the point where I almost ended up with a broken rib cage…and then he….broke up with me….right in front of my parents…" The young woman explained sadly, the tears still stained to her cheeks, which was enough to bring anger to the young man, not towards her, but towards that no-good selfish pig! At this point, having to hear every single negative spill out of the young woman's mouth, was enough to hit the young man hard in the gut, a lot harder than Meg's harsh words back when they were teenagers, as a rush of complete sympathy washed over him, his angry glare now a soft and apologetic gaze. He opened his mouth to speak.

"H-he….did this to you…..he put you in this place?" The young man asked sadly as Meg slowly nodded, before continuing to speak.

"Now thanks to him, my parents think that I have a serious problem, even though I don't" Meg confessed, the tears drying up on her soft cheeks, instantly beginning to feel the warmth of her long-time friends' presence as she realized that his hand was still locked with hers comfortingly.

"Meg…..I-I'm sorry….I-I didn't know-" Hercules began, only to be interrupted by the young woman.

"You were right all along about him, Hercules. I know it took me five years to finally see him for his true colours and I'm sorry! I should have listened to you and I should have trusted you. I shouldn't have said all those harsh things and I to this day, I deeply regret leaving you out of my life for five years! You were the only person that truly cared about me and…..and I let you down…" Meg confessed quietly, a big lump forming in her throat as her eyes began to well up with tears again for the second time, which was enough to make the young man sigh sadly, just by looking at his former long-time friend, he realized that she was telling the truth, she did deeply regret letting him go, she was truly sorry for what she had done to him, and most of all, she needed _him_, she needed him in her life, to help her, to be there for her, since he's all she has out here, no one else. Hercules managed to reach over and lightly stroke the tears from her face, his big thumb caressing and stroking her soft cheek, instantly closing her eyes, enjoying the feel of his warm, soothing and gentle touch on her soft and delicate skin. Another sigh escaped his mouth, as he brought his hand back, his hand still locked with hers as he began to speak.

"I forgive you, but…..it just makes me sick to my stomach to hear that he did all this to you when I wasn't around" Hercules said through gritted teeth, angry at the thought of seeing his best friend being treated like dirt by such a selfish man like Adonis. Seeing how compassionate her old friend was being, this put a soft smile on the young woman's face, seeing the old Hercules that she knew and loved for the first time in so long, but then a sudden thought came to her head as she then slowly furrowed her brow in confusion, a troublesome look making its way on her face.

"What's wrong?" The young man asked curiously, his blue eyes searching for an answer. Meg couldn't help but shake her head.

"When you said that….because of _me_, the past five years has been hell for you…..what exactly were you trying to say?" The young woman asked curiously, her eyes searching for an answer. Upon hearing this, blood began to rush to Hercules's cheeks; his face turning a pink shade of red as he slowly put his head down in embarrassment, finally beginning to confess.

"Meg, that day when we stopped being friends, I was pretty hurt and furious." Hercules began. "I started falling into these insanely deep depressions, I wouldn't eat or sleep, I wouldn't even leave my room or the house. Lately, I've been having these constant mood swings where it's like one minute I'm happy and the next minute I'm depressed. Three years later, my dad died, he was mugged and beaten to death in an alley, and they just left him lying there." The young man confessed sadly, inhaling a deep breath, trying his hardest to fight back tears, but was able to continue.

"I think that's what triggered my emotions and behaviour even more, I started breaking things, I would skip school, get into numerous fights where I almost ended up breaking my nose. I don't know Meg, ever since we stopped being friends; things for me just out of nowhere began to fall apart. A few months ago, my younger brother ended up in the hospital for a month because of me." The young man explained sadly, which immediately began to catch the young woman's attention more, causing her to gasp at the last thing that came out of the young man's mouth.

"Herc...w-what did you do to him?" The young woman asked worriedly, not liking the sound of where this conversation was headed. The young man continued to keep his head down in shame and embarrassment, sucking in a deep breath, exhaling and finally spoke.

"We got into this argument about something stupid, it started out with us yelling at each other, and then it started to get physical. I threw the first hit" Hercules began. "But, I didn't realize it was getting so out of hand when…..I beat him until he was unconscious. My mom and my older brother and sister were all so furious with me that day; none of them spoke to me for a good two weeks. On top of that, I started back-talking to my mom, where I accidently called her a horrible and crude name. After that about three weeks later, my whole family thought that I had a serious mental problem so they shipped me off to this place, and so far I've been here for about five months, and it got worse when the all the nurses and doctors told me that I have a Bipolar Disorder…." Hercules finished sadly, still keeping his head down in shame and embarrassment. After having to hear all the tragedy that had happened in her long-friend's life, this immediately brought more tears to her eyes, as her mouth was hanging open in shock, in hurt and in pain, keeping her sympathetic gaze on the young man in front of her, their hands still locked with one another's. At first, she struggled to find just the right words, still stuck inside her throat, but finally, she managed to find them.

"Herc…I-I'm so sorry all this happened to you…I-I wish I could have been there for you" Meg said sadly, her voice shaking. The young man shook his head, still keeping his gaze down.

"It's not your fault, but I just wish I had someone there with me, to help me get through all of this" Hercules mumbled sadly, which instantly began to make Meg feel even worse, feeling as though she had been punched hard in the gut, having to endure the fact of seeing her friend so helpless and vulnerable. A deep sigh escaped from her mouth, as she began to speak.

"I guess…now we have each other…..and I promise to try my best to help you out of this. I'll never leave your side ever again" Meg whispered sadly, trying her hardest to fight back the tears as she slowly tore her hand out of Hercules's grasp, confusing him as he instantly lifted his head up, brows furrowing in confusion, as the young woman slowly began to lift herself up from the chair.

"Where are you going?" The young man asked curiously, searching for an answer. Instantly, blood began to rush towards the young woman's cheeks as she kept her head down, keeping her eyes locked on her bare feet.

"I…um…I-I have to go to the washroom quickly….I'll be right back" Meg mumbled quickly as she hurriedly dashed out of the cafeteria through the dishevelled doors, leaving a confused and bewildered Hercules staring after her, worry and fear filling in his face, slowly lowering his head back down to his food as a sad sigh escaped from his mouth.

0-0-0

Meg quickly made her way out of the cafeteria, whipping her head around in every single direction, looking for any sign of those familiar white jackets; thankfully the hall was clear as day, as this gave her the perfect opportunity to head to the washroom to proceed with her business. Quietly, she made her way down the hallway, crossing her arms across her chest tightly around the white satin gown that clung to her body, her eyes roaming in every single direction, careful not to bump into anyone. As she continued making her way down the hall, the thought of seeing Hercules so dishevelled, so helpless and vulnerable and on top of that, knowing that he had been diagnosed with a Bipolar Disorder for the past five months was enough to slowly begin to eat her up inside, tearing her apart painfully, and what hurt the most, was the fact that him being put in this mental hospital, was all because of her, because of her selfish attitude towards him, and the fact that had chosen that pig of a man, Adonis, over her long-time friend, Hercules.

These thoughts continued to flow throughout her mind, when all of a sudden, her thoughts were interrupted when she suddenly bumped smack, right into another person heading in the opposite direction she was. An irritated scoff escaped from her mouth.

"Why don't you watch where you're go-" Instantly, she cut herself short when her gaze came face-to-face with none other, than a curious and puzzled Nurse Helen, her eyes widening in terror in embarrassment.

"Meg dear, where are you heading to right now?" Nurse Helen asked curiously. The young woman kept her mouth shut, closing it tight, trying to hide her shaking hands from being seen.

"Uh….I-I was just…." The young woman began, stuttering nervously, unable to find the words. Upon witnessing her change in behaviour, the middle aged woman sighed apologetically, worry and fear washing over her face.

"Honey, please don't tell me you were just on your way to the washroom…" The middle aged woman confessed sadly, which immediately made the blood rush through the young woman's body, making its way to her cheeks, her face turning beat red as she put her head down in embarrassment, not making any eye contact with female nurse standing in front of her.

"Honey, you have a serious problem and right now, it's my job to help cure you. As much as you won't like that, I'm going to have to ask you to avoid going to the washroom after you finish a meal, this is the only way you will get the help you need" Nurse Helen explained gently as she put a reassuring hand on Meg's shoulder. The young woman said nothing, but scowl at the ground. Another sigh escaped from the female nurse's mouth.

"Dear, why don't you go back up to your room for a bit, okay?" Nurse Helen suggested softly. "I'll come by to check on you later" Without putting up any kind of argument, the young woman did nothing but obey the nurse's orders, with one nod from the head as she made her way past the female nurse, making her way up the stairs, finding her way to her room as she entered her small room, shutting the door, locking it, slowly making her way towards her bed, adjusting her weight on the rough and uncomfortable mattress, sitting cross-legged on the bed, her scowl still plastered on her face. _Great! _She thought angrily to herself. _How am I supposed to get rid of all this food without Nurse Helen finding me? I'm sure as hell going to gain weight for sure the next morning! I can't let that happen! _She thought worriedly to herself, but instantly, the thought of Hercules began to overflow through her mind once again, her face beginning to soften, remembering seeing how the way he acted and how the way he was back in the cafeteria. Seeing him for the first time in five years with the way he is right now, was enough to cause her to hurt, a lot, the thought of seeing him like that caused her immediate pain inside, big gigantic knots filling in her stomach, a large lump forming inside her throat, stinging, fighting back the tears, but failed.

Closing her eyes shut tightly as tears escaped from her eyes, spilling down her cheeks. _How could I be so selfish? Because of me, this is why he is the way is!_ She thought angrily to herself, fighting with herself mentally as she hugged her knees to her chest, silently sobbing into her arms. _Oh Hercules, how could I have been such an idiot to do this to you?_ As all of these thoughts continued to flow through her mind, she instantly forgot all about her problems, focusing on Hercules, but all of sudden, both the thoughts of Hercules and Adonis filled her mind. Hearing his harsh words echoing through her head, 'fat', 'worthless skank'. These words continued to flow through her mind, beginning to slowly eat her up, immediately making her grow weaker and weaker by the minute. All of sudden, a thought came to her mind, slowly lifting her head from her knees, wiping the tears from her eyes as she slowly began to drop her knees from her chest, quietly crawling off the bed and making her way towards the small end table that was right next to her bed.

Slowly and curiously, she pulled open the small white drawer, her eyes instantly landing on a polished, silver sharp object; sharp scissors, just what she had been looking for. Pressing her lips tightly together, hesitantly she slowly grasped the scissors with her trembling hand, lifting it up from the drawer, her violet eyes roaming over the polished object, knowing exactly what she was planning to do next.

Without any thought or hesitation about this, Meg sucked in a deep breath, and exhaled slowly through her open mouth. Usually, she would never in her life do something so low as this, but unfortunately, everything that has happened in her life, it all came down to having to do this. Leaning her body back against the edge of the bed, shutting her eyes tightly as she pulled up the sleeve of her gown, holding out her tender and small wrist, immediately, the young woman began to glide the sharp object on her tender, delicate skin, sinking the sharp object deeper and deeper through the skin, fresh blood beginning to rise its up way up from inside her flesh as the red liquid began to slide down her wrist and drop lightly to the ground, the carpeted aqua floor was now stained with a tiny puddle of red liquid that poured out of the young woman's pale, tender flesh, tears of pain spilling down her cheeks as she gasped with each sharp pain she took, but she didn't stop. She continuously cut deeper and deeper, almost making its way to her veins.

Meg knew deep down, that this wasn't the proper way to get rid of all this pain and hurt she was feeling, but right now, it was the only other option she had, this and purging, which was definitely not healthy. But as she continued cutting, slowly, the pain began to subside, which for some odd and twisted reason, she was slowly beginning to feel better, cutting her wrists, her arms and on her legs, doing it to get rid of the hurt and pain she was currently feeling, Hercules, Adonis, being called fat. From now on, this was now her stress and pain reliever, slowly dropping the scissors to the ground, her body quietly collapsing on the carpeted floor, her wrists and arms covered in nothing but blood as well as her legs, her eyes remaining on the white ceiling above her, a soft sigh escaping through her mouth as her eye lids slowly began to close, drooping and eventually, closing shut completely, falling into a deep sleep.

**What did you guys think? Anyways, let me know by reviewing! Every review counts and they mean so much to me! Also, I would like to thank my bestest and closest friend, supersmashkingdomhearts1999, for supporting me and encouraging me no matter what. You're the best girl! Anyways, next chapter features Jane again. Don't forget to R&R! Thanks guys!**


	7. Jane: May 12th to 13th

**Chapter 7: Jane, May 12****th**** to 13****th**

The car ride to the airport was very quiet, silence filling the air amongst Jane, Professor Porter and of course Clayton. It was the day that both Professor Porter and Clayton had decided to ship Jane off to none other, Briar Ridge Mental Hospital, which was located in the state of Colorado. To the two men, it was simply just about giving Jane just the right treatment she needs, but of course to the young woman, it meant having to start her whole life over, away from home, in an unfamiliar place that was all so new to her, she was not the slightest bit thankful or relived, but rather terrified and furious, which caused her to have the slightest bit of hatred towards her father for keeping such a deep and dark secret hidden from her for so many years.

Before they were well on their way to the airport, back in the little home, Jane did put up a bit of a fuss which led to somewhat of an argument between her and her father, yelling and screaming to him at the top of her lungs where she nearly lost her delicate voice for even keeping a secret this big hidden from her and of course the fact that he was sending her to a strange place without her permission, but of course to Professor Porter, Jane's opinions didn't matter, therefore she did not have much of a choice with this sort of situation. Of course, her father just had to inform Clayton that today was the day that the young woman would be leaving for a few months and Clayton insisted on joining them, no ifs, ands or buts, which really made Jane feel uneasy about the whole thing, having to avoid the slightest bit of eye contact with him, especially after what happened a few days ago, the time where she had punched him in the nose for trying to make a move on her, of course she didn't realize how hard she had hit him because he showed up at the Porter house with a thick, white bandage around his now broken nose.

Just thinking about it was enough to make the young woman shiver at the memory of her eyes meeting his. She sat silently in the back seat, alone, her whole body curled up in a tight ball, resting her soft cheek against cold glass tinted window, her blue eyes scanning the dull outside view of England as soft yet subtle sigh escaped her lips, thinking to herself that this was going to be the last time she ever saw England ever again for the next three months, four... God knows how long she would be there for. The young woman could admit, being away from her father and especially Clayton was enough to cause somewhat of a relief, but on the other hand, being away in a new country, locked away in a mental hospital with a bunch of other citizens who were also suffering from their own mental disorders did scare her, fear was beginning to wash over her as nerves formed inside of her stomach, her belly was doing a variety of flips and her whole body began to shake silently, not wanting her father's eyes to catch her through the rear view mirror.

In a matter of just about two miles away, they had finally reached the airport, hearing and witnessing the sounds of car horns honking impatiently at one another, with the bright white gigantic planes flying and disappearing into the blue grayish sky immediately caught the young woman's eye, her vision floating after the white object, hearing the sounds of the motor and the soft whooshing sound of the plane as each were being gradually lifted off the pavement and disappearing through the sky, as this brought small teardrops to fall from the young woman's eyes and land right into her dress, beginning to regret leaving her sweet town of England, the place that was her home to her ever since she entered this world. As soon as it was finally their turn to exit of out the yellow cab, with the help of Professor Porter and Clayton quickly beginning to gather the young woman's belongings from the trunk of the smelly sweaty cab, Jane immediately inhaled a deep breath through her nose and exhaled slowly out through her mouth as she slowly began to rise from her fetal position that she remained in, her eyes staring out the glass window as they met the sliding entrance doors to the inside of the airport, her hand grasping the hot door handle, slowly pushing it opened as she quickly pushed herself out of the cab, staring wide-eyed at what was in front of her, closing her eyes shut as she felt her father's warm hand grasp her arm firmly, leading her inside along with Clayton right on her heels.

* * *

Within the next hour which came in the blink of an eye, the young woman was already on her way to Colorado, strapped tightly inside the moving plane that was being lifted off the ground and smoothly making its way through the blue grayish sky, keeping her eyes staring at through the small oval shaped window and staring down at the rocky pavement that was now far under feet, the inside of her stomach part-taking in flips and knots. Yes, she did have a great fear of heights, especially flying in planes, but that wasn't all that was scaring her right now, more like beginning to feel slightly angry. It wasn't long until she felt a strong manly grip on the top of her thigh, which startled her, causing her to whip her head violently from the window, turning to face the man sitting beside her with a devilish grin on his face, Clayton.

Before the young woman even stepped foot on the plane, it was then when her father decided that he did not at all feel comfortable about her travelling alone to Colorado, for he feared that she would not only feel uneasy, but ever since that major incident that had happened a few days ago, he worried deeply that his daughter would end up possibly having another meltdown while flying, which he could not let happen, so he insisted on accompanying her and of course Clayton agreed to come along as well, also not wanting the young woman alone with just her father, also insisting to Professor Porter that him and Jane get their own personal seats, just the two of them alone together, insisting on paying extra for this inconvenience, which was enough to cause Jane's body to shake violently, the thought of having Clayton get on that plane with her was overwhelming enough as she clearly knew that the only reason why he insisted they be alone together was so he could pull another move on her, but she tried to push that aside and focus on the somewhat positive, trying her best to keep herself under control, not wanting to worry her father even more than he already was. As much as the young woman despised both men, she did her best to keep herself calm, not wanting to freak out or have a breakdown in front of everyone, wanting to avoid curious and wandering eyes of the other citizens who were travelling as well.

Just as her worried eyes met his cold, devilish ones, her hands began to shake in her lap, clenching her fists together tightly, trying to resist the urge to strike another punch to his now broken nose that was now bandaged up. Right now, she despised him as well as her father, cursing to herself how her father could be so blind as to not notice what Clayton was up to, practically forcing his only daughter to marry such a disgusting man, and of course how a man like Clayton could not just leave her alone, or at least have the slightest bit of respect for her, but right now, all that mattered was the fact that she would be away from these two men for a few months, the thought was beginning to relax her muscles a bit as she turned her gaze away from Clayton, staring at the seat in front of her, closing her eyes shut as she inhaled a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying her hardest to calm herself down and to completely ignore the fact that Clayton's hand still remained moving slowly up and down her thigh, his fingers slowly lifting the hem of her skirt and slipping underneath the fabric as his cool fingers traced over the top of her warm leg, which caused the young woman to jump slightly at the feel of his fingers on her, her breathing was beginning to quicken as she balled up her hands into fists, trying her hardest to not cause a scene on the plane.

It was clear to Jane that Clayton was obviously trying to pull another move on her, but she did her best to try and avoid it silently, gently grasping his fingers in her hand tightly and throwing his hand back into his lap where they belonged, to himself. Seeing this, a frown appeared on the man's face as he completely ignored what the young woman done, not giving a care in the world as he roughly grasped her thigh, causing the young woman to gasp in shock, her body beginning to shake as well as her breathing beginning to quicken all over again, her hands beginning to shake. Upon seeing this, another grin formed on the man's face as he leaned in closer and closer, towards her face, his hot breath running up and down her skin, feeling his heavy hollow breathing ringing through her ear, feeling his lips pulling into a grin, opening his mouth to speak.

"Jane, Jane, lighten up a bit, you're so….tensed.." He whispered into her ear hungrily as low chuckle escaped through his lips, seeping its way into the young woman's ear, which caused ice cool chills to run and up and down her spine, her whole body continuing to shake silently. He was at it again, this man was clearly not going to give up and as soon as she became his wife, she was his, his property and she definitely could not let that happen, especially not under the severe condition she was in right at the moment, which would possibly result in a life long illness. But perhaps, maybe she could get away with something, something to avoid being forced to sit next to Clayton.

A sudden though popped into the young woman's head, a soft, yet very nervous and sheepish smile spread across her face as she slowly turned her head, her eyes meeting the man's devilish grin as she hesitantly moved her shaky hand from her lap and weakly grasped his hand, which was now still on her thigh, giving his fingers a slight squeeze, beginning to find the perfect escape, knowing full well that Clayton would immediately be turned on by this. She kept her blue eyes on his face, and then finally hesitated but had the courage to open her mouth to speak.

"Clayton…umm…..do you mind…i-if I excuse myself….t-to go to the washroom?" The young woman asked meekly, stuttering with her now shaky voice. At first when the man's smile slowly disappeared from his face, his eyes scanning her over carefully, a look of fear washed over her face, probably because of how fast he had erased his creepy smile from his face, and most importantly he probably knew she was up to, the look on his face was sure to give the young woman the idea that he would instantly refuse to let her leave him. But suddenly and much to her surprise, the smile had returned on Clayton's face as he continuously rubbed his rough hands on her smooth thigh, the kind of smile that she was receiving probably meant that to him of course, he was thinking that she was most likely going to do something 'dirty', which made him even more turned on by this, his hormones beginning to rage inside of him, literally about to spill and pop out of him any second now. With that, he slowly nodded his head, still smiling, dropping his hands from her thigh which brought Jane relief as he put his hands back in his lap, clasping them together patiently.

"I don't mind at all. You take as long as you need" Clayton said in his lust voice as he winked at Jane, causing cooler chills to rise up her spine. A bright smile appeared on her face as she quickly lifted herself up from the seat and began to climb over him eagerly, just about to quickly make a run to the washroom when all of sudden, she felt herself being pulled back, confused as she whipped her head around to see if she had caught her skirt on something, it was none other than Clayton's hand slowly pulling her back towards him, her heart beginning to beat rapidly.

"Don't be long…my wife to be" Was his last response as he winked at her again. Smiling and nodding as if she was going to listen to every word that he had said, she quickly yanked her skirt free from his grasp and made a dash towards the women's washroom, quickly and harshly pushing her body against the door as she slammed it shut with such force, startling every single passenger on the plane, some of them were woken up right out of their sleep.

Once Jane had safely made it inside the small claustrophobic washroom, heavy breathing decided to make its way out from inside her body, her body beginning to tremble as well as her hands beginning to shake violently, the thoughts of her being in the forest and reacting the same exact way began to overflow her mind, tears forming in her eyes as they spilled down her cheeks one by one. She kept her blue eyes trained on the silver door that was facing her, just by looking at how dirty and dishevelled it looked with all the dark splotches, the silver shiny scratches that squiggled down in opposite directions was enough to make her cringe in disgust and fear, shivers running up and down her spine as she couldn't take staring face to face with that dirty door, slowly beginning to take a few tentative steps backwards, not realizing that something cold had tapped the back of her leg through her fabric skirt, which caused her to yelp and shriek in terror, whipping her whole body around and instantly slapping her shaky hand over her mouth, her eyes widening in terror, not wanting any other passenger on the plane to overhear her sudden scream, as she realized that she came face to face with none other than a small toilet seat that was right behind her. Maybe to some other people, these types of things didn't scare them, but with the young woman, seeing how dirty and untidy this whole washroom was startled her, not a single clean or tidy spot could calm her fear down as her body began to shake violently, her heart beating so rapidly, feeling as if it was about to burst right out of her chest.

"Why is this happening to me? Why did this have to happen to me?" The young woman asked herself quietly and sadly, slowly dropping to her knees as she cowered the small corner of the washroom, curled her body tightly in a ball as she began to slowly rock back and forth, hugging her knees to her chest tightly, her soft cheek pressed against the cold wall, feeling little puddles of water that remained on the untidy ground as bits of it seeped into her skirt, which would most likely cause a damp stain to form on the side of her fabric skirt, but right now, she seemed to be ignoring everything, her mind becoming preoccupied with other thoughts such as why this was happening to her, why she had to have the disorder, why her careless father had kept this buried from her for her whole life and of course, why on earth she had to be married to such a lousy man by the name of Clayton, who was still waiting eagerly for his wife to be to return from the washroom but there was no way that she was ever going to return from the washroom to satisfy him, no way whatsoever. All these questions that ran through her mind were still left unanswered, the only person that could really and truly help her was the big man upstairs, God, and of course, herself. No one could ever help cure her, no one. With that, the young woman continued to remain in the washroom, curled up in a tight ball for the rest of the plane ride to Colorado.

0-0-0

Within hours, they had finally arrived in the state of Colorado, the three of them quickly squished inside a taxi and already on their way to the Briar Ridge Mental Hospital, the location was only half an hour away from the airport with little time to spare. This place was all so new to Jane, definitely a lot different here than it was back home, mostly because in the States, the drivers here drive on the left side as opposed to England where they drove on the right side. Another deep sigh escaped through her lips as she crouched herself in the corner of the cab, her whole body curled up in a ball, her ribs were crushed by the side of the door, her cheek pressed against the cold tinted glass window, her blue eyes wandering over the view if ever green trees and all of the modern houses that passed by. Again, the young woman and her father have not said a word to each other once they stepped off the plane, with the young woman not daring to look into her careless father's cold eyes after all that he's put her through and of course, Clayton was none other than furious with her, yelling at her because she didn't return to satisfy him on the plane, but of course, Jane did nothing but tune him out the entire car ride.

In about half an hour, they had just arrived at the hospital as the taxi driver pulled right up to the curb, with Professor Porter and Clayton hurrying quickly out of the cab, whipping the door open with such force which nearly caused Jane to literally fall right out of the car, her head almost hitting the pavement but thankfully, her hand broke the fall, her father helping her off the cold pavement ground while Clayton paid the cab driver and even tipped him as well. Next thing that young woman knew, the taxi had already sped off in a complete blur, leaving a trail of yellow behind him as the tires screeched and drove off. Instantly, nerves began to rush over her as she slowly turned her head to come face to face with the medium sized hospital that was standing in front of her, looking nothing but welcoming which was able to bring the young woman somewhat of relief and comfort, a nervous sigh escaping through her lips with her father's hands still grasping her arm. The young woman slowly turned her head to meet her father's eyes for the first time since the incident that happened a few days ago, instead of finding nothing but coldness in his eyes just like Jane had assumed she would find, instead she found warmth and sincere, mostly regret, regret about hiding this from his only child for so long and regret for having to ship her off to mental hospital for God knows how long as the older man sighed apologetically, staring over his daughter carefully, opening his mouth to speak.

"It's going to be alright dear, you will get the help that you need" Professor Porter said softly, as the younger woman stared at her father sadly, slowly nodding her head, holding back her tears, a sob wedged inside her throat that she did not dare to let escape from her mouth. To her surprise and which startled her, she felt that Clayton had roughly grasped her other arm, both men holding her in place so she wouldn't change her mind last minute and try to escape and make a run for it, his big hands squeezing her delicate little arm, trying her hardest not to put up a fuss with the amount of pressure that was being put on her other arm as both men instantly led her inside the hospital thanks to Clayton's eagerness to get her inside quickly and once and for all.

"You better suck it up and enjoy your stay here for while because once you're all clean, you're mine" Clayton grumbled angrily and aggressively in Jane's ear, causing her to gasp silently, her whole body beginning to tremble. Belonging to Clayton was the last thing on her mind that she wanted to think about, feeling somewhat of relief that she would be away from him for a few months, secretly hoping it would be longer, as they continuously stepped inside the hospital.

The minute they all stepped inside, Jane's heartbeat began to increase rapidly, beating violently inside of her chest as her curious and frightened blue eyes wandered around the hospital, with the florescent lights shining softly down onto her brown hair so it bounced off, her eyes landing on the bright solid coloured ever green walls through the entrance doors from the main lobby, where she was to sign in.

"Name?" The friendly and graceful woman from behind the counter asked, staring over the young woman sympathetically, noticing her shaking, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone.

"Jane Porter" The older man told the woman gently. The woman behind the desk nodded as she quickly jotted down the young woman's name, picking up the phone with such force and murmuring into the phone, her words came out in rush but no one was able to keep up with them. Within a matter of seconds, three nurses came quickly through the entrance doors, one was middle-aged remaining in her early to mid thirties while the other two looked like they were in their mid to late twenties with the woman behind the counter pointing towards Jane as the nurses eyes met hers, looking her over carefully as a rush of sympathy came over them, slowly beginning to make their way over towards the younger woman, careful, not wanting to scare or frighten her that would trigger any emotions and such. Upon witnessing these three women, hormones began to rush over Clayton as he did nothing but gawk at them, especially the middle aged woman with the irresistible curves and what not, but he focused his attention on all three of them, licking his lips lustfully as he eyed each and every one of them down. Once the three nurses were just a few feet away from Jane and the two men, the middle-aged woman smiled softly.

"You must Jane, I'm Nurse Helen Parr and this is Nurse Fiona" The middle-aged woman said gently, introducing Nurse Fiona as the younger woman waved and smile softly, completely aware of Clayton's gawking gaze, scowling at him and scoffing silently, focusing her attention back to the new patient in front of her.

"And this is Nurse Colette" Helen introduced the second younger woman, who smiled softly, her smile was welcoming as well as Nurse Helen's and of course, Clayton's gaze left from the younger nurse to other younger nurse as eyed her up and down, but thankfully to him she was not aware of his gaze that was boring onto her. Jane nodded slowly, her body still shaking as her father released his grip from her arm as well as Clayton, releasing his rough grip from her now bruised arm as the three nurses witnessed this and immediately scowled, their piercing glare boring into Clayton, assuming that the reason why the young woman was put in this place was most likely because of him, a cruel and pig-like man. Nurse Helen focused her attention back to the frightened younger woman standing in front of her as she gently reached out her hand towards her.

"Come with us, dear. We have to put you through the check-ups first and then we'll explain to you what your schedule is like, okay?" Nurse Helen offered gently. At first, the younger woman was sceptical about this whole thing, but instead of making a run for it, she slowly nodded and accepted the middle-aged woman's offer as she hesitantly grasped her hand with the woman's. But before they were able to make their way through the entrance doors, the younger woman suddenly yanked her hand from the middle-aged woman's as she quickly turned back to give her father a tight hug, despite all that has happened to her, despite the fact that he kept this from her, she still loved him and she was going to miss being with him for a few months. The older man wrapped his arms around his only child as he gave her soft kiss on top of her head, cupping her cheeks in his hands, his eyes staring into hers.

"Everything will be okay, dear. Be good for daddy, now" The older man said softly, with younger woman nodding, tears forming inside her eyes. She bid her father one last goodbye, instantly feeling Clayton's piercing glare boring into her, expecting the same kind of goodbye she had given her father, but instead, her worried eyes met his cold ones and with that, she quickly ran to catch up with Nurse Helen, grasping onto her hand tightly, feeling Clayton's cold and hard glare boring into her back, but she did not dare to turn back around to face his cold eyes ever again.

* * *

Within a matter of minutes, Jane's check up was over, with the nurses suggesting that she strip down to her underwear and retrieve her patients' gown, testing to see if she had any sort of alcohol or drugs in her system, which the three women were relieved to find that none of those things were found in her blood and everything remained positive and of course, having to endure a somewhat painful shot through her tender skin, which did make her nervous at first, cowering in a corner with her fear of being harmed or coming in contact with anything that was dirty or had some kind of chemical, but Nurse Colette reassured her that everything was going to be okay, with Nurse Helen even showing her that she cleaned the needle perfectly, no traces of chemicals or dirt whatsoever and the younger woman slowly obeyed their orders, Nurse Colette and Nurse Fiona gently holding her body down as Nurse Helen injected the needle through her skin, which caused a soft yelp of pain to erupt from the younger woman's mouth, tears forming inside her eyes as Nurse Colette rubbed her hand to comfort her.

Nurse Colette had decided to lead the young woman to her room, where it was located on the top level, which was upstairs along with the other female patients' rooms as well, with Jane desperately clinging onto the woman's arm, Nurse Colette rubbing her hands in response, telling her that no one was going to harm her and that everything will be okay. Within seconds, Nurse Colette had finally come in contact with Jane's new room, eyeing her room suspiciously for any sign or dirt or chemicals, along with any harmful weapon, her bare feet barely touched the carpeted floor as she jumped at the feel of the carpet tickling under her feet, her eyes scanning the claustrophobic room. Upon witnessing this, the older woman sighed sympathetically as she carefully helped the younger woman sit on the rough mattress, her fingers shaking while turning her head in every single direction of the room.

"Nothing will harm you, love" The woman said softly with her heavy French accent. "You just have to trust me and the rest of us, we will do everything to help you get better from the condition that you're in" Nurse Colette told the younger woman gently, resting her warm hand with hers to comfort her. Jane eyed the woman suspiciously, her eyes pleading to the woman to help her get out of this condition that she is, hoping to be normal again, but was slowly able to trust every word that she had said.

"With the condition that you're in, its pretty serious, Mon Ami" The young woman explained again, carefully with her French accent. Upon hearing this, Jane immediately shot her head up, her eyes widening in fear, opening her mouth, trying to find the words that were wedged inside her throat, but did not escape from inside.

"H-how…..s-serious….?" The younger woman managed to croak desperately, as tears began to spill down her cheeks. Nurse Colette did nothing but sigh sadly she put her head down, closing her eyes shut as she spoke slowly.

"We're not sure yet, love. But tomorrow, you will have a therapy session and from there, we can determine exactly how serious this is and whether it will be permanent or not" Nurse Colette explained gently as her eyes met the Jane's worried and tear filled ones as she obeyed every word she said and slowly nodded, trying her hardest not to have an anxiety attack like she did back in the forest in England.

"It is getting late right now, you should get some sleep after a long day of travelling Mon Cher. I will come by tomorrow morning and I will go over your therapy session with you, okay?" The nurse said gently, as Jane nodded, with Nurse Colette cracking a small smile, slowly lifting her body up from the bed, pulling out folded up piece of paper from her pocket and handing to Jane, it was her daily schedule and routine for her stay at the hospital.

"Here is your schedule, dear, I will come by tomorrow morning, now please do get some sleep and I promise you, everything will be okay, you can trust me" Nurse Colette said gently, looking helplessly at the nurse standing above her as she slowly nodded and with that, Colette slowly made her way the door, taking one last peak over her shoulder as she slipped outside the door, locking it from the outside and began to make her way down the stairs, her footsteps disappearing with each step she took. Jane looked over her schedule, her eyes scanning and studying every single word carefully. On the schedule, the fine print wrote:

**Schedule:**

**8:00am-Breakfast**

**9:30am-Private Therapy Session**

**12:30pm-Lunch**

**2:00pm-Activites **

**3:00pm-Treatment**

**3:30pm-Classes**

**4:30pm-Phone calls to family members and close relatives**

**5:00pm-Homework**

**6:00pm-Dinner**

**7:30pm-Free time to rest, relax or activities**

**9:00pm-Bedtime, Light out**

As soon as she was finished reading over the schedule, the young woman slowly folded the paper back to how it was originally when Nurse Colette took it out of her pocket, not wanting to crumple it or in any way mess it up as she neatly placed it gently on the side table next to hear, in case she needed to read it over once more. It was already 9:00pm and everyone else's lights were out, including hers and the nurse was right, she was exhausted from a long day of travelling but part of her did not want to sleep, part of her had the urge to arrange things around the room, making it neat and tidy in every way possible, but she dared not to, hugging her knees to her chest tightly as she rocked back and forth nervously, resting her head against her knees.

"What is wrong with me? Why do I have to be in this serious condition?" The young woman asked herself quietly and desperately as she continuously rocked back and forth, fighting the urge to resist her screams of panic and fear, not wanting to come in contact with the rough mattress underneath her but she was exhausted and right now, she needed sleep, bad. With that, she slowly laid her body against the rough mattress, still keeping her knees tucked tightly to her chest, slowly closing her eyes shut as she fell into a deep sleep, a sleep that was dreamless instead of having those same chronic nightmares that had Clayton in them.

* * *

Morning had come in the blink of an eye, with the sun already rose from its peak as the ray of sunlight spilled through the curtains of the young woman's bedroom, bouncing lightly off her face, her eyelids fluttering open as she slowly raised from her sleeping position, which she still remained in her fetal position form from the previous night, yawning softly as she stretched every muscle in her body while still remaining in her patients' gown when all of a sudden, a knock on the door woke her fully from her thoughts, whipping her body around to the knock from outside the door.

"Jane, Mon Cher, it's Nurse Colette, are you ready for your therapy session?" The woman called from the other side of the door. The younger woman hesitated at first, clearly forgetting that she had a therapy session at 9:30am this morning, meaning she must have overslept and of course missed breakfast, but she wasn't complaining very much, after all, she was not that much of a breakfast person to begin with so she didn't mind at all. With that, she slowly nodded in response to Nurse Colette's question.

"Y-yes, I-I am" Jane said nervously, carefully making her way from the bed, crossing her arms over chest as Nurse Colette slowly unlocked the door, opening the door as she poked her head in and smiled softly, a reassuring smile.

"Come now, love" Nurse Colette said gently as she took Jane's hand and led her down the stairs, with Jane once again, clutching desperately onto her arm, making their way down the hall with the bright florescent lights shining above them, literally almost blinding the young woman as she cowered closely to the female nurse, the halls were all so quiet, meaning that everyone else was already in their own private therapy sessions as well.

Finally, they reached Nurse Colette's small little office as she unlocked the door with her key, turning to the young woman who was still clutching onto her arm as she smiled softly, reassuring her that everything was going to be okay.

"Come with me" The female nurse said gently as she led the young woman inside her office, with a small couch on one side for her rest on, a small desk on the other where she would do paper work and such, a medium sized fake plant that was right next the couch, resting against the wall right near the window, the walls were a light shade of yellow. As they slowly made their way inside the little office, Nurse Colette shut the door carefully, locking it as she led Jane to the couch, slowly helping her to sit down, with Jane fiddling her fingers nervously, fighting the urge to begin rearranging things around in the office as well as searching for any sign of the slightest bit of dirt or dust, fear that these things will contaminate her. The female nurse wheeled her chair over as she adjusted her weight into the chair, sitting across from the younger woman, eyeing her carefully as she held her notepad in her arms, clearing her throat to speak.

"So Jane, do you know how long you've been suffering from this condition?" Nurse Colette asked gently, but the young woman kept quiet and silently nodded.

"I-I recently just…..found out a f-few days ago…..my father k-kept this hidden f-from me for so many years" Jane explained sadly, her voice shaking, with the female nurse's eyes widened in shock and surprise.

"He kept this from you?" Nurse Colette asked in shock. "Do you know what this condition was that he claimed you're suffering from?" The young woman slowly nodded, lifting her head so that her eyes could meet the female nurse's shocked gaze.

"H-he said that I-I've been….suffering from…..OCD.." The young woman explained sadly, a few tears escaping from her eyes as she buried her head in her hands, crying silently, with Nurse Colette rubbing her hands with hers, gently peeling Jane's hands from her face as she tilted her chin to look up at her, shaking her head and sighing sympathetically.

"So now you know" Colette said softly, with Jane slowly nodding.

"Jane, believe it or not, a lot of people suffer from OCD and it's definitely not your fault. Obviously, something traumatic has happened in your life to cause you to endure this mental illness for such a long time" The female nurse explained, with the young woman still crying as she nodded at every word the nurse had said.

"I mean back inside the check up room, I could automatically tell with your reaction to the shot, worrying whether it was contaminated with any trace of chemicals that could harm you and right now, I can sense the urge you have to rearrange everything in my office so that its neat and tidy and not to mention, you have a great fear of any kind of harm that can hurt you, or your family" Nurse Colette explained, with Jane surprised that she was able to understand every single problem and obsession she was having, somewhat fascinated that she was able to have the ability to enter her mind clearly, as if she was reading an open book.

"Believe me, I've dealt with so many patients with the exact same mental condition you are in right now, love" The female nurse explained reassuringly. "Has anything tragic happened in your life a few years back?" She asked curiously. At this point, the young woman was somewhat hesitant to answer such a personal question to a complete stranger that she did not know directly, but part of her was able to trust her, as she slowly nodded in shame, opening her mouth to speak.

"M-my…..my mother passed away when I was five years old….I-I don't know i-if she was murdered or…i-it happened from natural causes. A-all I remember is…seeing her lying lifelessly in the casket and then….she was gone…buried deep inside the ground. I've had to take over the household for my whole life, and it just…f-feels as though my father….and Clayton…" She shuddered at the thought of seeing Clayton's face pop in her head. "E-expect me…to be p-perfect…" The young woman finished sadly. The female nurse nodded slowly, taking in every single word that spilled out Jane's mouth, immediately feeling sympathy towards her.

"So…maybe all of that could be the cause of the illness. The fact that you've had to deal with your mother being gone, being pressured to be the perfect child and woman, especially having to be a good wife to such a lousy man who treats you so terribly. But I think this mostly has to do with your mother passing away when you were such a young age" Nurse Colette explained gently, trying her hardest to figure out just exactly what was causing the young woman to suffer from this condition and lifelong illness.

"H-how will I…be a-able to….get rid of this? H-how can I-I be normal again..?" The young woman asked desperately, will her eyes still filled with tears, staring helplessly at the female nurse. A deep sigh escaped from Nurse Colette's mouth, opening her mouth to speak.

"I don't know, but for sure you will definitely need behavioural therapy for treatment to help you get better and for now, I will give you some antidepressants that you have to take daily, every morning and night, okay?" Nurse Colette said gently, which caused the young woman's eyes to pop right out her sockets, worry and fear washing over her.

"Antidepressants? W-what are those? W-will those harm me? I-I can't! They'll p-probably kill m-me!" The younger woman began to panic, her whole body beginning to tremble and shake as she began to crouch her body up in a ball, with Nurse Colette gently trying to calm her down, rubbing her arms.

"Now Jane, these will not kill you, I promise. They will help you get better, I promise you" The female nurse said gently, reassuringly. "I will give them to you in your next treatment this afternoon but you have to promise and trust me that you will take them, it's the only way that you will get the help that you need" Hesitantly, Jane nodded slowly, her body still crouched in fetal position with Colette's hand still grasping her arm firmly.

"Okay love, I will let you go now, lunch time will begin shortly, but right now since it's early, you can sit in the rest room for a bit, okay?" Nurse Colette suggested. The young woman nodded as the female nurse began to slowly help her up from the couch, the two women making their way out of the office and walking slowly down the hallway.

* * *

Lunchtime had ended pretty early, with two minutes remaining as the rest of the patients slowly beginning to pile out of the cafeteria, eager to part-take in their own personal activities that they enjoyed. The young woman made her way out of the cafeteria, wrapping her arms around her chest protectively, trying to resist coming in contact with any of the other patients, especially with the condition she was in. At lunch, she barely ate any of her food, as she tried her hardest to resist screaming from coming in contact with any sort of dirty objects, the idea of having to sit in those plastic chairs made her body cringe, shivers running up and down her spine, her body beginning to shake and tremble, which caused curious eyes to wander in her direction.

Jane shook her head at the thought, trying to erase the images from her head. Since she was still new, being in such a new place, she did not know anyone, she did not talk to either of them. With the condition she was in, she feared coming in contact with any of the patients here, but to her, the rest of the other patients seemed to keep to themselves, each of them having to deal with their own personal illnesses and disorders. With a few patients in small groups of three's, while other patients decided to isolate themselves, with Jane sheepishly heading over to the rest room, as she noticed two figures sitting alone together on the couch, two young women about her age, one with strawberry blonde hair with pale skin while the other had short black hair and snow white skin isolating themselves from everyone, the two of their voices murmuring softly and quietly to one another. The young woman took this as an opportunity to overcome her fear and decided to make conversation with them, as she slowly and hesitantly made her way into the rest room, adjusting her weight on the couch across from them, a soft smile spread across her face.

"Hello" The young woman greeted sheepishly, expecting at least a 'hello' or some sort of acknowledgment from the two women but instead, they remained quiet, they're soft murmuring beginning to die down subtly as they noticed a total stranger sitting across from them, quickly shutting their mouths and not saying a word or even soft syllable, completely ignoring the young woman sitting across from them. Confused and somewhat hurt with the lack of communication, Jane furrowed her brow in confusion, eyeing the two younger women down carefully.

"You girls don't talk much, do you?" Jane said softly with a troublesome look on her face, the two women continuously keeping their mouths shut, not even making the slightest bit of eye contact with the young woman. A sigh escaped from Jane's mouth as she slowly rose from the couch, making her way out of the rest room with a trouble some look on her face, wrapping her arms tightly around her as she aimlessly began to wander down the hall when all of a sudden, a hand on her shoulder startled her, causing her to jump and yelp in terror, her whole body beginning to shake violently as she whipped around to come face to face with another young woman, about her age with beautiful dark skin and black hair.

"Oh….I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you" The woman said sheepishly with her southern accent, with Jane staring over her carefully.

"I-it's okay….I-I'm just a very jumpy person" The young woman mumbled nervously. Awkward silence filled the air between the two women, until the dark skin woman broke the silence, opening her mouth to speak.

"I'm Tiana by the way. What's your name?" Tiana asked curiously.

"I'm Jane, Jane Porter" The young woman replied, only to receive a soft smile from the woman standing in front of her.

"It's nice to meet you Jane. I take it you're from England" Tiana said, with Jane smiling in return.

"Yes I am actually, are you from New Orleans?" Jane asked curiously, only to have Tiana nod in reply to her question.

"You guessed right. Oh and by the way, those two women that you were trying to make conversation with, that's Cinderella and Snow White, they don't tale to anyone so none of the other patients bother to talk to them" Tiana explained, which instantly brought that same confused frown on Jane's face.

"How come they don't talk to anyone? I mean, I heard them talking to each other, but when I went to make friends with them, they just ignored me, like I wasn't even there" Jane said sadly, with a hint of embarrassment. Tiana sighed in sympathy as she led Jane over the other rest room, the two women slowly plopping themselves onto the couch, with Jane sitting uncomfortably on the cushion, her arms still wrapped around her.

"See that's the thing, they don't talk to anyone else but each other, because the truth is, they're both suffering from this mental disease called Selective Mutism and the both of them were able to form a connection and bond between each other" Tiana explained.

"S-selective Mutism? What is that if you don't mind me asking?" Jane asked curiously.

"I've never really heard about it but from what I know, Selective Mutism is when the person refuses to speak or they have either been abused and traumatized in the past. I don't know much about them, but my guess is that they both dealt with their own traumatic issues back in their pasts." The woman explained gently, as this all came clear to Jane, beginning to make sense to her.

"Those poor dears, I wonder what happened to them to make them like this" Jane said sympathetically. Tiana agreed and nodded.

"Everyone does, but you can't always expect the answer to fall right in your lap" She said. The young woman hesitated at first, but slowly let it out, opening her mouth to speak.

"H-how come….you're here, dear?" Jane asked curiously, worried that she might have gone too far as the younger woman began to tense up, clenching her hands in a ball, but slowly exhaled and began to speak, putting her head down in shame.

"I'm here because…..I'm suffering from Major Depressive Disorder" Tiana said sadly with a hint of shame, causing the young woman to take pity on her, a rush of guilt and sympathy forming inside of her as she eyed the woman carefully.

"I-I'm so sorry to hear that, you poor thing" Jane said softly.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, it's my own fault. I-I worked myself too hard and I've been putting all this stress on me for years" The woman explained, slowly lifting her head so her eyes met Jane's, smiling softly. "I take it you're here because you're suffering from OCD, right?" Tiana asked curiously, with Jane's eyes widening in shame as she slowly nodded her head, admitting her wrongs.

"H-how did you know?" Jane asked, with Tiana chuckling.

"Because, look at how the way you're sitting on the couch, I can automatically tell that you're uncomfortable because you don't want to come in contact with anything that's dirty with any sort of chemical that can harm you" Tiana said, eyeing the way how Jane was sitting on the couch, her body was on the edge of the cushion, careful not to let her body come in contact with the rest of the cushions, her arms still wrapped protectively around her, a rush of embarrassment forming inside of the young woman as her cheeks turned bright red.

"I guess you're right" Jane admitted sheepishly, only to receive a soft chuckle in return, as this put a soft smile from her face. "So what do you have to take in order to remain…sane?" Jane asked sheepishly, not sure of the exact word to use and the word sane was the first word to pop inside her head.

"I have to take antidepressants and believe me, they do help, I actually took mine this morning" Tiana said.

"They actually work? I-I mean….t-they don't harm you or a-anything?" The young woman asked nervously, her voice shaking as she slowly began to inch away from the woman sitting beside her. Tiana did nothing but stare, a blank expression plastered on her face as if she had just witnessed the strangest thing in her life. Furrowing her brow, Tiana opened her mouth to speak.

"No….they don't harm you, they actually help to get better. Why would you think they would-?" Before she finished her question, she suddenly remembered why Jane was acting this way, why she was beginning to inch away nervously from the moment she brought up 'antidepressants', because of the condition and illness she's in, a sympathetic look replacing her confused gaze.

"Oh….I get it. They don't harm you, believe me, they don't. If I hadn't taken them right now, I'd most likely be inside my room, staring helplessly up at the ceiling" Tiana said gently, with Jane sighing.

"Okay, I trust you know more about this so, I'll take them. My nurse is going to give them to me during my treatment today" Jane said, with Tiana nodding in encouragement.

"They won't harm you in any way, don't worry" Tiana said gently, as Jane nodded, trusting this woman with all her might and taking in every single word she had said. The two women sat in silence for a few moments when all of sudden, the sound of heavy footsteps interrupted their thoughts, snapping the both of them back to reality. Hearing these footsteps stomping gracefully down the hall immediately caught Jane's attention as she leaned over the couch, poking her head out curiously to see what has happening around the corner. It was then when her eyes came in contact with three large male doctors, wearing their bright white jackets with their big black shoes, one was completely buffed, with short blonde hair and his large muscles pretty much showed through his white jacket, while the other one had dark brown hair, luscious locks and he too was buffed, but not as buffed as the first one and of course, the last one was lanky, orange curly hair and not to mention, he did have a big nose, but he seemed pretty confident for who he was. All of a sudden, it was then when her eyes landed on one individual in particular, obviously a patient since all the male doctors were gently guiding him through the hallway, almost as if they were the patients' bodyguards, protecting the patient from any sort of harm.

From what Jane could make out, the patient was male, a male that looked troubled. He had dark brown dreadlocks with a well toned and lean body, his pectorals pretty much showed through his fitted white t-shirt that clung to his body, his face was so chiselled and perfect, almost exotic looking, only if he smiled, more importantly, only if he knew what was going on, looking as if he did not know where exactly he was, wondering whether or not this place was his home or if he was prison, he did not speak and he obeyed the doctor's orders as they carefully lead him to his own personal bedroom, which was straight down the hall, past the florescent lights, the hall where all the men slept. The young woman could not keep her eyes of him, to her she couldn't' help but feel somewhat fascinated by this man, her blue eyes still glued to his back as the four men all disappeared down the hallway. It was then when she felt a hand on her shoulder, jumping slightly as she realized the hand belonged to Tiana, who had a small grin on her face.

"His name is Tarzan, he never comes out of his room to socialize with the other patients because the doctors and the nurses won't allow him to" Tiana explained, only to have Jane furrow her brow in confusion.

"How come?" Jane asked curiously.

"Because, supposedly he is suffering from this disorder called Autism. I'm guessing he's had this ever since he was a chid because that's the age where most kids develop the disorder, Autism" Tiana explained. "Meaning, that he has a lot of difficulties interacting socially with other people, he doesn't really talk well, and the doctors don't want him around the other patients, in case one of them decides to harm him" Upon hearing all of this, a rush of sympathy formed inside of Jane as she took in every single word that Tiana had said, immediately feeling extreme pity for such a beautiful looking man like him, her eyes lingering back to the hallway, where the doctors had disappeared with the young man, a deep sigh escaping through her lips.

"I'm not going to lie to you, he is a very good looking man, but we're not allowed to go near him, we have to stay away from him" Tiana said, warning her. But Jane was too busy focusing her attention down the hall, curiosity filling inside her head, keeping her blue eyes gazing down the hallway, wondering what it would be like to actually make an effort to try and start up a conversation with this man.

* * *

It was around 7:30pm, with dinner just beginning to end as the rest of the patients scattered out of the cafeteria, eager to enjoy their free time whether if it was relaxing, engaging in their own personal activities and enjoyments while the rest decided to head back to their own bedrooms, with Jane and her new found friend, Tiana slowly making their way out of the cafeteria, both not sure what exactly to do when Tiana offered to sit in the rest area to watch some TV and of course, Jane took her up on the offer as the two made their way inside the empty rest area, with Tiana volunteering to turn on the television with the controller, with Jane's fear of getting contaminated or dirty. The two women sat in silence as the bright pictures in front of them reflected off their faces, both enjoying an episode of 'Passions'.

With Tiana becoming so preoccupied with the show, Jane's mind began to linger back to that young man she saw surrounded by the those three male doctors, walking down the hallway, leading him carefully to his personal bedroom, seeing his chiselled face, seeing his confused expression, keeping his head down in shame as if he had committed a crime, not having the ability to socially interact with the rest of the patients, or with anyone else for that matter. The thought of him having to be cooped up in the small room all by his lonesome caused her heart to ache, filling so much pity and sympathy towards him. But then, Tiana's voice popped in her head, about how she needs to stay away from him and not even talk to him, or look at him, but it wasn't like he was harmless, right? I mean the only bad thing with him is that he can't talk or socialize with anyone, but he wouldn't do anything to harm her.

All these thoughts continued to overflow her mind, urging herself to listen to Tiana's words, but part of her couldn't, part of her was just curious and she was determined to find out more about this man herself, even if she did get caught by the doctor's and nurses. A deep sigh escaped through her lips as she jumped out of the couch and quickly began to make her way out of the rest room, with Tiana's curious gaze following after her.

"Hey Jane?" Tiana called, only to have Jane stop dead in her tracks as she slowly and innocently turned around, with a small innocent smile plastered on her face.

"Where are you going?" Tiana asked her friend curiously. Jane tried her hardest to come up with an excuse.

"Um….I-I'm…..just going to….the washroom….j-just to wash up" Jane lied but thankfully Tiana didn't catch on, as a sympathetic look appeared on her face.

"Just remember to take your antidepressants before you go to bed tonight" Tiana instructed carefully, as Jane nodded quickly, turning on her heal and speeding out of the room as she quickly and carefully made her way down the hall, her eyes scanning the area to make sure that there were no nurses or doctors just happen to be wandering down the hallways, sighing in relief as every part of the hospital was immensely clear, no one was in sight. Quickly making her way down the hall, her bare feet padding against the cold marble floor, her arms wrapped protectively around her. Deep down, she knew this was not the smartest idea, but part of her was just so curious about this man, curious to see how he would interact with another patient, she needed answers and she was going to get them whether they liked it or not.

The young woman began to slow her speed down as she realized she had just entered the men's hallway, not really certain where exactly this man's room was located but she was bound to find it somehow. She wasn't sure if she should just march up to first door she spotted, worrying if there was any sign of a male doctor lurking down the hallways to make sure all the patients were occupied. From what she could make out a few hours ago when she witnessed him last for the first time, to her it looked like his bedroom would be either the first door to her left, or the second room that was right next to the first, her eyes scanning nervously between the two rooms, wondering whether or not to trust her instincts and to knock quietly on the very first room, or just simply obey Tiana's rules and make a run for it before she risked getting caught, but of course, the other half of her brain was telling her to suck it up and just march right into the room. Much to her surprise, Jane hadn't noticed that there was tiny glass window on the top of the door, windows on every door, which was perfect for her because that would give her the ultimate advantage as to which room this young man was currently in by his lonesome.

Swallowing down a nervous gulp of saliva as she hesitantly reached up on the balls of her tiptoes, her eyes managed to peek through the little clear glass window, scanning the room to find that same familiar figure. Much to her surprise and to her excitement, her blues finally spotted him, that same young man that she saw earlier, who looked he was just finishing up his meal hungrily, devouring every sweet and tasty flavour that trickled down his taste buds, while at the same time, it looked like he was occupying himself with toy blocks? A rush of sympathy and pity formed inside of the young woman as she continued to keep her gaze on him through the window, finding it somewhat fascinated to watch his behaviour. He didn't look harmless at all, he wouldn't harm a fly on anyone, and definitely not someone like herself for that matter.

A nervous sigh escaped from her lips as she landed flat on her feet, turning her gaze from side to side quickly to make sure there was absolutely no sign of anyone, slowly inhaling a deep breath and exhaling slowly, her hand lightly grasped the cold silver knob to the door, as she slowly twisted the knob, surprised and shocked to find that the door was left opened instead of being locked as she quickly pushed herself into the young man's room, quietly slamming the door shut, which startled the young man as he suddenly shot his head straight up, his eyes widening in terror as he noticed that this person indeed was not definitely not a nurse or a doctor, but another patient.

Jane nervously turned around and for the first time, her blue curious eyes met his fearful chocolate brown ones, shifting his weight to the edge of the bed to avoid any physical or social contact with this complete stranger, as the young woman slowly and hesitantly made her way over to his bed, with the young man inching further away from her as she adjusted her weight at the edge of the bed, her eyes still trained on him, the two strangers part-taking in a staring contest, but Jane was the first to speak.

"Y-you don't have to be afraid of me, I won't hurt you" Jane said softly, reassuringly as the young woman inched further away from her, his heart was racing and his palms were drenched in sweat. Even when he looked scared, he was still such a beautiful and fascinating human being, even if did sound crazy that part of her was already beginning to feel somewhat of an attraction to him, both physically and emotionally, but part of her did take pity on him for reacting this way towards her, not saying a word to her.

"You're not used to being….around other people…are you?" The young woman asked curiously, her voice was soft, pure, almost angel like, which was starting to bring a little bit of comfort to the young man, his heart rate beginning to slow down, eyeing her carefully, his chocolate brown eyes met her beautiful ocean blue like ones, the way how her light brown hair fell down to her elbows, almost like a waterfall, and even the shape of her beautiful pure face was enough to bring him more comfort, finding himself also fascinated by this beautiful young woman, he wasn't sure what the feeling was inside of him but his heart began to race again, not in fear but rather in excitement and pleasure, feeling himself already attracted to her as well, or so what he thought.

"What's your name?" Jane asked curiously, her blue eyes searching for an answer. The young man found himself inching somewhat closer towards the young woman, opening his mouth, trying his hardest to find the right words he was looking for, but failed. He scrunched up his brow in a frown, feeling like a complete lunatic for not being able to talk to this one person who was harmless after all, but this did give him an opportunity to practice around such a patient person like her. He opened his mouth again.

"Me, T-…Tarzan.." The young man stammered, trying his hardest to find the right words, and right then and there, a rush of sympathy formed inside of Jane as an apologetic look appeared on her face.

"Tarzan…" Jane said softly, which immediately put a bright smile on his face, his eyes twinkling in excitement, smiling at the woman, excited at the fact that she was the first person to ever understand him, which did bring joy to her inside with the bright smile plastered on his face, causing her to chuckle softly.

"I'm Jane" The young woman said softly, introducing herself, but the young man just stared at her confusion, trying to understand what she had just said, which sounded like a name, a name he was not so familiar with, but that didn't stop him from at least trying to communicate with this woman.

"J-J…..J-Jane. You…Jane…Me…Jane..?" Tarzan asked confused, trying his hardest to figure out which names belonged to which, only to have Jane sigh sympathetically as she looked Tarzan over, a soft smile spread across her face, as she moved closer towards him, but this time, he made no attempt to inch away, not even a subtle flinch, gently grasping her warm pale hands with his tan warm ones, which surprised him at how close they were, their bodies making physical contact with one another.

"No dear, I'm Jane" Jane said pointing to herself to make sure he understood. "And you are Tarzan" The young woman finished as she pointed to him, making sure he fully understood.

"Me…..Tarzan" The young man said, as he pointed to himself, with Jane nodding in encouragement. "You….Jane" He finished as he pointed towards the young woman sitting across from him, who now had her hands entwined with his, a soft but bright smile spreading across her face as she nodded in encouragement.

"That's right, Tarzan, you got it!" Jane said excitedly, as Tarzan smiled at her, his gaze dropped from her face to their entwined hands, his thumb began to absent-minded trace over knuckles softly, which brought immediate warmth to the young woman, feeling butterflies flutter inside her stomach. Could she actually be falling for a man she just met? After all, this is the most contact she's ever come in with a man, feeling somewhat of an attraction to him, a man that seemed so respectful of her, a man who wouldn't dare harm her. The two stared at each other, gazing at one another curiously, before the heavy sounds of footsteps both startled them, interrupting their thoughts as they both whipped their heads towards the door, fear washed over their faces, the fear of Jane getting caught and being forbidden to ever come back in here again.

With that, Jane suddenly turned her apologetic attention back towards Tarzan, as she gently untangled their hands, slowly rising up from the bed, her eyes never once leaving his.

"I have to go, Tarzan" Jane whispered sadly, but before Tarzan could attempt to say anything, the next thing he knew, she was out of his room in flash, closing the door shut right behind her as she dashed her way out of the hallway, quickly making her way up the stairs to her personal bedroom, pushing herself in quickly as she closed the door shut.

* * *

**Gah! So sorry for the late delay peeps, been having a major writer's block and right now, I'm currently on vacation and I'm trying my best to keep up with the updates. So again, don't forget to R&R! Thanks guys!**


	8. Esmeralda: May 14th

**Chapter 8: Esmeralda, May 14****th**

It was approximately 9:40am in the morning, breakfast had ended rather quickly this morning and all the other remaining patients had their own personal therapy sessions to attend.

Esmeralda was currently making her way hesitantly down the hallway, her body tensed up as nerves began to rush over her, her emerald eyes scanning the hallways, careful not to accidently come in any contact with the patients. Lately, to the young woman, lightly and accidently bumping into another remaining patient was enough to trigger their disorders even more, depending on what they were suffering from. Some suffered from panic disorders, anger management and of course, the regular PTSD, which would always frighten the young woman, staring in terror at the patient's reactions, but Esmeralda just simply tried her hardest to brush off the scary thoughts as she continued to make her down the hallway, ditching her usual patients' gown for a long lime green skirt that reached just above her feet and a long sleeved purple top, her bare feet gently padding against the cold ground.

Once she was finally able to reach Nurse Helen's office, with the door already closed, the young woman sheepishly lifted her hand as she gently knocked lightly on the door, not realizing that her fist was trembling with each knock she made. Sucking in a deep breath and exhaling slowly, the door hinges squeaked open as the familiar redhead poked her head out the door; a soft reassuring smile was plastered on her face, which was enough to cause comfort to form inside of Esmeralda, twiddling her fingers nervously with one another.

"Good morning dear, why don't you come inside and have a seat and we'll get started" Nurse Helen said gently, with the young woman slowly nodding her head as she sheepishly and nervously made her way inside the little office, nervously shifting her weight onto the soft leather couch, with Nurse Helen shutting the door quietly as she shifted her weight into her chair, the sun was shining brightly through the stained glass window as the sun rays spilled inside the office through the fake green plants. The young woman continued fidgeting with her fingers as the female nurse slowly wheeled her chair over to Esmeralda so that the two women were sitting across from each other.

Esmeralda could already feel the middle-aged woman's concerned gaze boring down onto her, which was beginning to make the young woman feel somewhat uncomfortable, knowing full well why she was here and why Nurse Helen was so concerned about her. It pained her to even think about it, or to even talk about it, but in order for her to get better and to get the help she desperately needed, getting serious professional help was the first thing on her list. Slowly, she lifted her head to meet Nurse Helen's worried gaze, a nervous sigh escaping her lips as tears began to fill inside her eyes, but did not dare escape. A sigh escaped from Nurse Helen's lips as she opened her mouth to speak.

"So Esmeralda, dear, how have you been feeling these past few days?" The middle-aged woman asked softly. The young woman opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out of her mouth, trying her hardest to find the words she desperately wanted to find, but failed as she sighed deeply, shaking her head.

"I know this is very hard for you honey, but I want you to know that you can trust me with anything, all I want to do is help you" Nurse Helen explained gently. Esmeralda hung her head down in shame, wiping a tear away from her face, sniffling softly as she slowly lifted her head to meet the female nurse's face, opening her mouth to speak.

"I-I…..I've just been….you know…trying my hardest to deal with this….to try and get the help that I need" The young woman replied quietly, her voice was barely a whisper, as Nurse Helen slowly nodded, her gaze fixed on the young woman sitting across from her, not taking her eyes off of her.

"I know you are, and it's tough for you, believe me honey, I know you're trying your hardest" Nurse Helen explained softly, with Esmeralda nodding her head slowly, trying to fight back tears.

"Esmeralda, when did you start….feeling this way about yourself?" The middle-aged woman asked softly, her tone was worried. Instantly, the young woman snapped her head up, her lips quivering, trying to prevent herself from bursting in hysterical tears. Of course, that sort of question always made her extremely emotional, which would bring back those horrible memories of her judgemental mother, every one of her harsh words echoing through her head. Keeping their gazes fixed on each other in awkward silence, Esmeralda sucked in a deep breath as a tear slid down her cheek, exhaling slowly and finally began to speak.

"When…..m-my mother and my father divorced when I was five years old." She began as she took another deep breath and exhaled slowly. "My mother was….devastated when m-my father left us. Ever since my father left, remarried and….started a new family of his own, the relationship that….I've had with my mother….started going downhill from there….."

Nurse Helen gently grasped the young woman's hand in comfort, a look of sympathy on her face as she began to realize where exactly this story was heading.

"Honey, are you saying that…..your own _mother _is responsible for putting you in here in the first place?" The middle-aged woman asked softly, with Esmeralda nodding her head, looking down at her bare feet in shame as a few tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Y-yes…..my mother has been….so judgemental of me. She would always blame me, blame me for my father leaving us…almost as if everything that happened between the both of them…..was m-my fault." Esmeralda explained sadly, sniffling as she tried her hardest to hold back the tears, but Nurse Helen was quick to grab a box of tissues just in case, sheepishly slipping a tissue from the box as the young woman wiped her tears with it.

"So, you think that….your mother is the reason why you….suddenly became body conscious with yourself and the fact that you've…..been diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa." Nurse Helen said gently, with the young woman shutting her eyes closed tight as she nodded, more tears cascading down her cheeks, with the female nurse gently rubbing her hands with hers.

"Honey, there's no need to feel ashamed about this. Trust me; I've dealt with so many young girls and young women your age who have been diagnosed with eating disorders and I know this is very tough on you." The middle aged woman began.

"I know you felt as if you had to battle this all on your own with no help from your family, but I want you to know that you're not alone and that's why you're here, to get the help you really need." She explained gently, with Esmeralda gripping her hand desperately, feeling a rush of warmth and comfort, slowly opening her eyes, a soft smile appearing on her face as she nodded, taking in every word that the nurse was saying, believing and trusting her. Nurse Helen was able to crack a small smile, but a look of worry still remained on her face. The two women sat in silence, but the female nurse was the first to break it.

"Dear, have you been taking your medication regularly?" She asked softly. The young woman nodded slowly. Yes, she had been taking her medication, _Olanzapine _somewhat regularly, but of course she knew that all of this would just disappear in just one night and instantly snap back to normal. No, this took time and process, even if she was still having doubts about her body, knowing inside that she's fat and that no man will ever love her, to her she thought that, but to everyone else around her including Nurse Helen, they knew deep down that it's not true. Believe it or not to Esmeralda, being in such a place like this was starting to feel more like home, feeling as if she was wanted here instead of being in her home with her judgmental mother back in Paris. As much as she was taking her medication every day, that still didn't change the fact about her eating habits; she still continued refusing to eat. She was not ready to go down that path just yet, as her fear of gaining weight prevented her from eating.

"I'm glad to hear that you're taking initiative with this honey." Nurse Helen said with a small smile on her face. "I know it's only been five days, but have you at least _tried _to get back into eating, even if it's only a small portion?"

Upon hearing this, the young woman put her head down in shame, heat beginning to rush to her cheeks as she shook her head, letting a deep sigh escape from her mouth. The female nurse's smile faded to a sad look on her face, pressing her lips firmly together, but finally opened her mouth to speak.

"I understand, it's only been five days since you've been here dear. Now I'm only suggesting here, why don't you at least try to eat a smaller portion today at lunch? And maybe from there, that will help to eat gradually?" She suggested gently. The young woman's eyes gazed into the middle-aged woman's brown ones, the look in her eyes pleading, desperate for hope, desperate to help this young woman get better, to get the help she needs. Sucking in a deep breath, slowly exhaling, Esmeralda shut her eyes tightly, lowering her head as she slowly complied as she also, wanted to desperately get the help she needed and if what Nurse Helen was suggesting was only the first step in the process, then she was willing to comply, even though this was going to be a long process to being fully somewhat cured in the end.

A sigh of relief as well as a soft smile, reappeared on Nurse Helen's face, gently rubbing Esmeralda's hands with hers.

"Okay dear, I will let you go now. If you ever need to come back and talk to me, I'm right down the hall, okay?" Nurse Helen said gently, as Esmeralda smiled softly and nodded.

"Thank you." The young woman whispered thankfully, as the female nurse smiled, gently helping her up off the couch as she guided the young woman to the door, with Esmeralda throwing one last smile over her shoulder as she slipped out of the office and made her way down the hallway.

0-0-0

It was still pretty early, only remaining at 11:30am, which meant that lunch would start in an hour, with plenty of time to spare. Most of the other patients were either currently in their own personal therapy sessions, while the rest were either locked inside their rooms or in the rest room occupying themselves with the television or enjoying their own time isolating themselves in a nearby corner, away from everyone.

It was fairly quiet in the building as Esmeralda slowly made her way down the hallway, careful to keep her distance in case she accidently came in contact with any of the patients. Her thoughts kept lingering back to what Nurse Helen had suggested back inside the office, suggesting to her that maybe she try and eat smaller portions of food. Just thinking of that was enough to cause nerves inside of her to form, frowning at the thought of it. _'What if I will never be cured? What if I'm not ready to take that step just yet?'_ She thought to herself worriedly. Yes, she did want to get better and be fully cured, but maybe this step was all too much for her, consuming her, maybe she just wasn't ready to take that step just yet, but it wouldn't hurt to at least give it a try.

Shaking her head from the thought of it, she continued to make her way down the hall, thinking maybe spending some time relaxing in the rest room with the television to keep her occupied could help calm her nerves down a bit. Slowly rounding the corner towards the rest room expecting to find it empty, she stopped in her tracks, her emerald eyes scanning the little room as she was surprised to find at least one other person, another young woman about at least two years younger than she was, inside the rest room, already occupying the television, completely isolating herself from everyone and with the way how her expression was, she looked anything but friendly, as if she was miserable, also decided to ditch her patients' gown for a pair of baggy gray sweatpants with a black long sleeved V-neck fitted top, her auburn brown hair pulled into a high pony tail, her eyes glued to the bright screen of the moving images in front of her, her fingers clicking the remote for any interesting channels, but so far, her luck had run out.

The young woman just stared, curious as to whom this person was for she had never seen her before, probably guessing that she was somewhat new to this place. To Esmeralda, she did look like the type to be unfriendly, as if she had an invisible force field around her to zap anyone who dared to enter her personal boundaries, but she couldn't blame her. After all, this was mental hospital and people here had that kind of persona about anyone they would accidently come in contact with. Invisible force field or not, that didn't stop the young woman from taking this as an opportunity to at least have the decency to introduce herself.

Sucking in quiet deep breath, Esmeralda hesitantly made her way inside the rest room as she slowly shifted her weight onto the couch where the other young woman was currently sitting, her emerald eyes scanning over, but the other woman did not make the slightest bit of eye contact, not even acknowledging that someone had just plopped themselves beside her. Silence filled the air as the woman continuously flipped through the channels, still having no luck finding anything interesting on the television. It wasn't long until Esmeralda decided to be the first to break the silence.

"Nothing good is on to watch right now, huh." The young woman said sheepishly. Not taking her eyes off the television, the other woman opened her mouth to speak.

"Nope, not a thing." She replied bitterly, her tone was also anything but friendly.

"I can tell." Esmeralda said, more awkward silence filling the air. The young opened her mouth to speak again.

"I'm Esmeralda by the way." She said introducing herself. "What's your name?" A deep and frustrated sigh escaped from the woman's mouth, her attention still focused on the screen in front of her.

"Megara. My friends call me Meg….at least they would if I had any friends." Meg replied bitterly, her tone sounded slightly annoyed with the fact that of having to practically be forced to make conversation with anyone, which deep down, she hated, with Hercules being the exception. Esmeralda looked at her with sympathy, immediately feeling apologetic towards her.

"I'm sure you had plenty of friends back in your hometown, where it is that you came from." The young woman explained apologetically, but of course, Meg wasn't buying it, as she was used to hearing that many times back when she was younger.

"Nope, not a single one, but why should anyone care?" Was her harsh response, which was starting to make Esmeralda feel somewhat annoyed with the fact that she was being so hostile around her when clearly the young woman was only trying to be friendly, but then again, a lot of people suffering from mental disorders were often closed up inside. More silence filled the air between the two women.

"Just out of curiosity…..have you….tried talking to any of the other patients?" Esmeralda asked softly. Again, another frustrated sigh in annoyance spilled right out of the woman's mouth.

"No and I don't plan to." More silence.

"Maybe….you should try talking to them, try getting to know them, maybe that way you can form some kind of friendship that way." The young woman suggested kindly, only to have Meg roll her eyes in annoyance as turned her attention from the television, her violet harsh eyes landing on the woman sitting beside her, the look on her face was death threatening.

"Look, I don't have any friends because I don't _want _any, therefore I don't care! And besides, why should I even care about getting to know these other crazy people in here?" Meg snapped angrily, only to have Esmeralda frown, feeling somewhat offended, and the two women glaring at one another.

"I'm just trying to help." Esmeralda said bitterly, but her tone and her voice was calm, trying to be the mature one and resist the urge to blow up at the woman.

"I didn't ask for your help." Meg spat harshly, the two women continuing to keep their glares on each other, with Meg scoffing in annoyance as she turned and focused her attention back on the television in front of her, proceeding back to flipping through the channels. After a few moments of silence, the frown on the young woman's face began to disappear slowly, as the feeling of sympathy formed inside of her. Clearly this young woman needed help, but most of all, she needed a friend and judging by the way her attitude is, it suddenly became clear to Esmeralda that she was not kidding, she really didn't have any friends and she felt as though she needed one. Usually this wasn't like Esmeralda to just randomly share that she is suffering from Anorexia, but it was the least she could do, since she was trying to be friendly and perhaps, maybe to her this could form some sort of connection between the two, but again, not to jump to conclusions too quickly. Sucking in a deep breath, she opened her mouth to speak.

"Look, I know you don't care, but if it makes you feel any better, I was feeling the exact same way you're feeling now. I didn't have any friends back in Paris either." Esmeralda confessed sadly, keeping her eyes trained on the woman sitting next to her.

She was sure that after hearing her confession, the woman would simply just scoff and ignore her. But to her surprise, slowly putting the remote down on her lap, she turned her attention away from the screen, her purple eyes scanning over the young woman in shock, furrowing her brow in confusion.

"Really? You….you never had any friends either?" Meg asked curiously, as Esmeralda shook her head.

"Not a single one, except for my pet goat, Jolly. But….other than that, I didn't have any friends, I barely had a family either." The young woman confessed, only to have Meg's face soften, beginning to feel sympathy towards Esmeralda. Lowering her head down in shame, she opened her mouth to speak.

"I thought I was the only one." She muttered sadly. "I never had any friends back home in Greece, except for my one and only friend, Hercules." Silence once again filled the air, but Esmeralda was the first to break it hesitantly.

"I know this is kind of a personal question but…..how come you're here?" Esmeralda asked curiously, immediately regretting blurting out the question, for she was worried that she may have gone too far, seeing the woman tense beside her as she sighed sadly and turned away in embarrassment. With the young woman curiously waiting for an answer, the woman shut her eyes tightly, sucking in a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

"I'm here because…..I-I'm suffering from…..Bulimia." Meg admitted sadly, embarrassed and ashamed, which made the young woman feel even more sympathy towards her, but thankfully, this was something she could relate to, for she was suffering from an eating disorder as well. Sighing in sympathy, she spoke.

"So…you have an eating disorder too?" The young woman said apologetically, only to have Meg turn her head back towards her, furrowing her brow in confusion, eyeing Esmeralda carefully.

"Too? Do you mean that….you're suffering from an eating disorder too?" The woman asked in shock as Esmeralda slowly nodded sheepishly.

"Yeah…they say I'm suffering from Anorexia." Was the young woman's response. Meg just stared in shock, her eyes scanning over Esmeralda curiously.

"I know, it's hard to believe but I thought the exact same thing too once you told me about your condition." Esmeralda said.

"It is, I mean, who would have thought we'd both be suffering from eating disorders? That's just…..crazy if you think about it?" Meg said lightly, trying to lighten up the mood somewhat, with Esmeralda chuckling softly in response. After a few minutes, the two women were quietly talking amongst themselves; the both were already beginning to develop some sort of friendship with one another.

Little did they know that another young woman was sheepishly standing by the entrance to rest room, her brown eyes watching the two women talking with one another, her shoulder length silky black hair screening her face, ditching her patients' gown for a pair of black baggy sweatpants and tight fitted navy blue t-shirt, not wanting them to notice that she was there watching them. As she continuously watched them talking, hearing the soft voice murmuring to one another, a rush of shyness and nerves began to form inside of her, thinking to herself _'I can't be here, they'll for sure hate me. They'll think I'm weird, they'll think I'm the mute girl'. _It startled her once the minute she looked up, her brown eyes came in contact with Meg's curious violet eyes, the two staring awkwardly at one another, but the younger woman slowly tore her gaze away from Meg's as she solemnly began to turn on her heel.

"Who's that?" Meg asked quietly to Esmeralda, pointing her finger in the direction that the young woman was heading. Confused, Esmeralda turned, her gaze following Meg's pointing finger at towards the young woman was currently beginning to leave the room, but once Esmeralda's emerald eyes were glued onto her back, a rush of sympathy formed inside of her as she realized exactly who the person was as she rose up from the chair, calling out the woman.

"Mulan, you don't have to be afraid and leave, why don't you come sit down and join us?" Esmeralda offered kindly. Stopping in her tracks, Mulan slowly and hesitantly turned back towards Esmeralda, keeping her head down with her black silky hair covering her pale face, her eyes meeting Esmeralda's as she smiled softly, twiddling her fingers shyly.

"Okay." Mulan murmured quietly, hesitantly walking entering the little room, with Esmeralda making plenty of room for her to join on the couch as she sheepishly adjusted her weight onto the soft cushion, keeping her head down. Awkward silence filled the air, but Esmeralda decided to break it.

"Mulan, this is Meg." Esmeralda said, introducing the two women to one another. "And Meg, this is Mulan." Mulan did nothing but slightly lift her head up to gaze at Meg, mumbling a quiet 'hello' while Meg simply just waved back at her, faking a smile. As Meg noticed how quiet Mulan was, leaning slightly closer to Esmeralda as she whispered in her ear.

"What's up with her? Why is she so quiet?" She whispered to Esmeralda. A sigh of sympathy escaped Esmeralda's mouth, her eyes scanning over Mulan apologetically, but finally focusing her attention back to Meg.

"She's…..really been through a lot from what I can tell." Esmeralda whispered back. "I don't exactly understand why she's here but she really needs a person she can trust, so just, go easy on her."

Upon hearing this, Meg did nothing but narrow her eyes, not liking the sound of the fact she was being forced to act all sweet and cheery as pie, but to her, it was probably worth the shot, after all, it was not like she cared much for anyone else besides Hercules and her now new friend, Esmeralda. Sighing in frustration, Meg leaned away from Esmeralda, her glare turning into nothing but the biggest and fake smile she's ever put on in her life, smiling over at Mulan, gritting her teeth from inside. More silence filled the air between the three women, even though Meg was pretending to act all cherry sweet, deep down, she wanted Mulan to leave, for she had interrupted a good conversation she was having earlier with Esmeralda. Again, Esmeralda was the first to break the silence.

"So Mulan, how have you been doing for the past couple of days?" Esmeralda asked sympathetically, wanting to do her best to help her new friend, but Mulan just simply shook her head, slowly lifting her gaze up to the two women sitting beside her, her hands beginning to tremble.

"I-I…" She stuttered nervously. "N-not…so g-good….I guess." Her response sounded nothing but monotone, her voice was shaking and Esmeralda could tell she was nervous, nervous about being around people that was not familiar with. The young woman looked at her in sympathy, feeling sorry for her, feeling sorry that whatever had gone through caused her to be so closed up inside, preventing her from possibly forming any sort of relationship with anyone else, but of course Meg on the other hand could care less, for she did not know anything about Mulan so it was of no effect on her, just smiling as cheerfully as ever, but deep down Mulan could just instantly tell that she was faking.

Before Esmeralda had a chance to respond, a loud sound caught the three women's attention, a sound that sounded like it belonged to a person, a high-pitched scream sounding like it belonged to a young girl, her scream echoing throughout the entire hallway, carrying its way down and seeping its way into the rest room where the women were currently sitting, startled by the sound that the three of them nearly jumped out of their seats, especially with Mulan.

To both Esmeralda and Meg, the scream did not necessarily affect them, not as much as it did to Mulan, which was enough to trigger her thoughts, especially with the serious condition she was currently in. The screaming continued, the heavy footfalls of the nurses hurrying their way down the hallway past the rest room, passing by so fast that everything was just a bright white blur, with Mulan's body shaking and trembling so violently, her heart beat racing, her hands trembling as she quickly jumped off the couch (which nearly startled Meg and Esmeralda), cowering in a small corner of the room as she hugged her knees tightly to her chest, rocking her body back and forth, her breathing was heavy.

Was the commotion outside was currently being taken care of, Esmeralda focused her attention on the young woman cowering in the corner, a look of sympathy, worry and mainly sadness appeared on her face as she kept her eyes trained on the poor frightened woman, slowly lifting her weight off the couch as she hesitantly made her way over to Mulan, trying her best to comfort her, telling her that everything was going to be okay and that there is nothing to be afraid of, but Mulan just hugged her knees tighter to her chest, rocking her body back and forth.

Surprisingly after witnessing this, the fake cheery smile that was plastered on Meg's face slowly began to fade, the look on her face beginning to soften, seeing Esmeralda trying to comfort Mulan was enough to cause a rush of sympathy to form inside of her, realizing that this woman was very damaged and she needed help, but mostly what she needed was a friend, just like Esmeralda had mentioned to her earlier. Deciding to drop the whole cheery act, she too slowly lifted her weight off the couch and hesitantly made her over the two women in the corner, crouching down on her feet so that she was eye level with the both of them.

"Mulan, it's okay, nothing will hurt you, I promise." Esmeralda said soothingly, reaching out her hand towards her, but the young woman refused, shutting her eyes closed tight as her body rocked back and forth continuously. Seeing her so terrified was enough to cause Meg's heart shatter to pieces, which was ironic because she usually never felt this was about anyone, except for Hercules.

"Mulan, nothing is going to hurt you, you have the both of us here with you. It will be okay." Meg said softly, which caused a soft smile to form on Esmeralda's face as she turned towards Meg, feeling happy that she at least had a heart.

"You don't have to be afraid, Mulan, it's just the three of us here." Esmeralda said gently, her hand still reaching out towards her. Staring curiously at the two women, Mulan slowly unwound her arms from around her knees, her tensed muscles beginning to relax slowly as she hesitantly reached her hand out and grasped it with Esmeralda's gentle one, as a soft smile appeared on the young women's faces, with Meg carefully grasping Mulan's other hand as the two women helped Mulan off the cold floor from the tight little corner, guiding her back to couch as the three of them shifted their weights onto the soft cushion. Esmeralda hesitated but finally had the courage to let it all out.

"Mulan…..how you're here?" The young woman asked softly, her voice was curious with Meg's violet eyes scanning over her curiously. Upon hearing this, the young woman's body began to tense up, her body beginning to tremble slightly as she sucked in a deep breath, swallowing down a blob of saliva, slowly lifting her head so that her brown eyes met their sympathetic gazes. Exhaling slowly as she began to confess.

"I-I'm….here because….t-they say that I-I'm…suffering from….PTSD." Mulan confessed, feeling nothing but shame and fear just from hearing mentioning that word, causing the two women to feel a rush of sympathy towards her, the look in their eyes was saddening, with Meg being the first to speak.

"You mean….you're suffering from…Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?" Meg asked sadly, as the young woman nodded in shame and fear. A sad sigh escaped from Esmeralda's mouth as she put a gentle hand on her shoulder, but surprisingly, Mulan didn't flinch or jump, meaning she felt somewhat comfortable around her.

"I'm really sorry to hear that Mulan." She said apologetically. "What happened to cause such a thing to happen to you?" Again, Mulan's body began to tense up, the trembling beginning to grow more as she shook her head, her hands shaking.

"I-I…I can't say….." She whispered. "I-I…..I can't talk about it…..i-it's…too horrible for me to…..t-think back on that."

Both women understood and decided to leave the question unanswered, especially Esmeralda, thinking that was too much of a personal question to ask in the first place. But then again, it wasn't like she shared the reason why she was here in the first place either, thinking of the fact that she is currently battling Anorexia made her emotional enough as it already was.

"How come….you're here?" Mulan asked Meg quietly, as her body also began to tense up, closing her eyes tight, a deep sigh escaped from her mouth as she finally confessed.

"I'm here because…..I'm suffering from….Bulimia." Meg confessed quietly, as a rush of sympathy formed inside of Mulan.

"Y-you…you have an eating disorder too?" Mulan asked sadly as Meg nodded, with Esmeralda putting a hand on Meg's shoulder in comfort.

"How…..how did this happen?" Esmeralda asked in concern. Again, Meg's body began to tense up as tears began to pool inside of her eyes, quickly turning her head away, not wanting any of them to see her crying.

"I-I…I'd rather not talk about it." She muttered bitterly. "Just talking about it will just…..make things worse than they already are."

"I understand…..I mean…..I'm not yet ready to share why I'm here yet either." Esmeralda said quietly, as the two women nodded their heads in agreement.

"But, how's everything going for you?" Mulan asked Esmeralda quietly, as the young woman sighed in sadness, bowing her head down in shame.

"I'm still working on it, I mean we all are. My nurse told me that I have to take my Olanzapine every day regularly so I can at least gain back a bit of weight and gain some of my appetite back." Esmeralda said.

"Tell me about it, my nurse told me that I have to take my Topirmate every day and night. She says it will reduce the amount of food I take in." Meg responded bitterly.

"They say I have to take this medication called Propranolol. Don't ask me what it does because, I really couldn't tell you." Mulan said quietly while keeping her head down, which was somewhat shocking to Meg and Esmeralda, their curious and surprised gazes fixed on Mulan, the two of them were expecting anything but her to actually have the courage to say at least a full sentence without stuttering for the first time. More silence filled the air between the three of them, but Esmeralda was the first to break the silence.

"Hey, out of curiosity, have any of you talked to or in come in contact with any of the other patients?" She asked curiously, her eyes darting between the two women sitting on either side of her.

"I have actually." Meg replied nervously, shaking and shuttering at the thought. "It was my very first day here, when Nurse Helen escorted me to the lunch room, this guy, he came up to me and he started yelling at me because I was supposedly in his way….and then he threatened to kill me if I ever came in his way again."

"That was probably Adam you came in contact with, believe me, he did that to me too the very first day I came here, he does that to everyone. I think he has some serious anger management issues." Esmeralda said.

"I'll say." Meg muttered. "What about you, Mulan?" The young woman slowly lifted her head, nodding in response.

"Yeah….umm….the very first day I came here, I…accidently bumped into this girl, I-I think her name was Belle….and then once she saw me….she just kind of ran off." She replied quietly.

"I just wish I was back at home, so I wouldn't have to deal with these people." Meg muttered sadly, resting her elbow on the side of the couch as she sighed desperately. After a few minutes passed, the three women were continuously chatting quietly with one another, completely unaware that lunch had just begun.

0-0-0

Pretty soon, lunch was in progress, the cafeteria was already filled with the rest of the remaining patients; all of them were currently enjoying their meals while some isolated themselves and the others were in small groups of two or three with one another, all of them minding their own business.

The three women were currently sitting together at their own isolated table, with Mulan being the only one digging into her meal hungrily while both Esmeralda and Meg were simply staring down at their meal, none of them making the slightest move to at least pick up a fork and begin eating, especially Esmeralda being in the condition that she's in right now at the moment.

The young woman just stared down at her food that was staring right back at her, she could hear her stomach grumbling loudly, but she did her best to ignore it, not wanting to give in to temptation. But then again, Nurse Helen did suggest that maybe she try to at least eat a smaller portion of her meal today and then would gradually begin to increase her intakes, but something was bothering Esmeralda, something deep down inside was telling her that maybe this wasn't a great idea, telling her to not give in so easily. Just continuously staring down at the food was enough to make her feel sick, sick to her stomach but mainly sick mentally, not wanting to do this, this was all too soon to start doing this. After all, she had only been here for five days and she'd probably end up staying in this place for about four to five months, there was plenty of time for her to change her habits, but today and right now was just not a good time yet.

With Meg on the other hand who was also just staring down at her meal as if she was part-taking in a friendly staring contest, she simply picked up her fork and slowly began to dig into her meal, taking maybe at least one bite or two, dropping her fork down into her plate and continued staring down at her food.

Just as she was on her fourth bite, Mulan witnessed the silence at the table, her brown eyes scanning over the women sitting with her, both not making any sort of movement to begin their meal, which made her feel uneasy and somewhat embarrassed. Dropping her fork onto her plate, she sat there, gazing down at her meal, and then lifted her curious gaze on both Esmeralda and Meg, her eyes scanning over them curiously, waiting for at least one of them to dig into their meals. But unfortunately, Esmeralda decided to just give up on this, deciding that she definitely was not ready for such a big step, even if it was just eating a small portion, she just couldn't do it.

"I-I can't do this….at least not today, it's just too soon." She said softly with sadness to her tone, with the two women furrowing their brow in confusion, but they finally understood where Esmeralda was getting at, as a deep sigh escaped from Meg's mouth, shaking her leg and finally grabbed hold of her fork.

"I'm sorry but…..I have to do this." She said quickly as she began to inhale her food like a lion devouring his meat. Seeing this, Mulan began to dig right back into her meal, with Esmeralda's emerald eyes staring at the two hungry women, a sigh passed through her mouth as she shook her head, slowly got up from the table, picking up her tray of food as she hesitantly headed over towards the garbage can.

Yes, deep down, Esmeralda did hate wasting food with a passion, but at this point, it was all she could do. If Nurse Helen were to come in and witness a plate full of food just sitting there, rotting and going stale on the table, she would automatically assume that the meal belonged to none other than Esmeralda, which was the risk she was definitely not willing to take. Once she was able to reach the garbage can, shooting a quick glance around the cafeteria to make sure that no nurses were around, she hurriedly threw the tray of food right into the garbage, quiet and careful not to make any sudden noise that might attract any curious eyes wandering in her direction.

Once that was finished as she breathed a sigh of relief, slowly turning back around to head back to where Meg and Mulan were, it was out a nowhere when all of sudden, her foot came in contact with some liquid on the floor that she slipped with so much force that she was sure she would end up smashing her face on the hardwood marble floor. Suddenly instead of expecting to remain on the floor with a headache beginning to make its way up her spine with sharp pain coursing through her head, she found herself caught in mid-air, by what seemed like to be a pair of hands? And surprisingly they were….man hands?

Curiously as she furrowed her brow in confusion, her face just inches from the ground, she found herself being lifted up from where her face currently was, turning her head so that her eyes came face to face with a young man, her emerald eye staring into his pastel ones, immediately beginning to feel lost in them, her heart beginning to flutter as butterflies began to dance around in her stomach. The young woman was able to make out his features perfectly. The man had short dirty blonde hair that reached just passed the nape of his neck with small blonde stubble underneath his chin, his face was chiselled and judging by being in his arms, they were well toned, muscular even, her little shoulders were pressed against his toned pectorals.

To the young woman, this man looked incredibly handsome, the two were staring curiously at one another, with Esmeralda almost forgetting to breath, the words were wedged inside of her throat, the young man still keeping his arms wrapped around her, but Esmeralda was complaining, for some odd reason, she liked the feel of his touch, even though she did not know who this was person was. Snapping back to reality, she sheepishly put her head down as the man nervously cleared his throat, sheepishly unwinding his arms from around her waist, the two staring awkwardly at their feet, but Esmeralda could feel his curious eyes roaming over her, clearing his throat again as he spoke.

"Are…..are you alright?" The man asked quietly. The young woman looked up sheepishly and nodded, cracking a small smile.

"I-I am now…..thank you for catching me." She thanked him quietly, which made a soft smile appear on his face.

"Don't mention it." The man said softly, as the stood in silence again, with Esmeralda expecting that he was just going to leave and never ever talk to her again, but it surprised her when her eyes met his, still standing there, his eye roaming over curiously.

"Thanks….again." The young woman thanked quietly once more as she bowed her head, beginning to turn back to make her way over towards Meg and Mulan, but was surprised to feel a gentle hand grasping her arm. Curiously turning around, she realized it was the man's hand, his eyes were pleading, clearly not wanting her to leave so suddenly.

"Wait…what's your name?" The man asked curiously. The young woman took in a deep breath and spoke.

"Esmeralda." Was her response, a quiet and sheepish response. The man did nothing but smile softly.

"That's a pretty name, I'm Phoebus." Phoebus said introducing himself, as the two smiled softly at one another, completely lost in each other, oblivious to any person that was in the room. Esmeralda was aware that she could feel both Mulan and Meg's curious gazes boring onto her back, which was making the young woman blush even harder, the butterflies remained dancing inside of her stomach. Snapping back to reality as Phoebus cleared his throat, sheepishly letting go of the young woman's arm.

"It was nice meeting you Esmeralda." Phoebus said quietly, with the young woman nodding her head in agreement.

"It….it was nice meeting you too Phoebus." She whispered as she smiled up at him, with Phoebus smiling back as he sheepishly waved and headed back to his seat, where he was sitting with another blonde young man, the two isolating themselves away from everyone.

Esmeralda just stood there, smiling sheepishly after him, her face was pretty much glowing as her heart began to flutter inside of her violently, her mind lingering back to being in his arms, and the fact that he said her name was beautiful, turning on her heel as she kept her head down and made her way back over to the table, her mind was no currently filled with nothing but Phoebus.

_**Hey my lovely readers! So here is Esmeralda's chapter! I apologize that this took me a while to write, since I have been trying my hardest to keep up with updates and such. **_

_**I want to make a quick announcement, I am now taking requests! However I sort of need you guys' help. I have a poll on my page that is asking a specific question with regards to this current story**_ _**so if you guys go on my profile, you will see my poll and all of you, my loyal and trusted readers/reviewers, have the option to vote on which character you would like to see next, but just quick, these are only minor characters so I will only be doing at least an individual chapter or two, possibly three for each, but my main focus is on Mulan/Megara/Esmeralda/Jane, but it would help me a lot if you guys voted on which one you would like to see next. So, feel free to vote!**_

_**Also one last note, again and as always, I want to give a special shout out to Ms. Emily Vega, Supersmashkingdomhearts1999, Suzerenma, Scooter12345, FanWriter2012 and a couple of anonymous reviews for encouraging me and standing by me! You guys don't know how grateful I am for this and it means the world to me guys! So keep on reading and reviewing and don't forget to vote for which character you would like to see next! Thanks guys! Muah!***_


	9. Ariel: May 15th

_**Warning, this chapter may contain a brief scene of sexual abuse, so if any of you are offended, please skip past that part. Thanks guys! Enjoy!**_

**Chapter 9: Ariel, May 15****th**

Another day had passed and in the blink of an eye, the pointy hand on the clock had already hit 7:30pm, meaning that dinner was just ending and now that meant free time for the patients to part-take in anything they wanted, whether it was relaxing in the rest room to pull up a chair and watch some television, part-take in one's own favourite activities or if one was extremely tired, lock themselves in their rooms and head straight to bed.

Everyone else seemed to be currently preoccupied with their own activities or enjoyment, including one individual in particular. Seventeen year old Ariel, was currently taking an evening swim inside the bright blue swimming pool, which was located on the third floor of the building, the teenage girl was doing nothing but enjoying a nice refreshing swim all by her lonesome, which she had preferred, letting the chlorine water soak up all her emotions, completely vanishing.

It has been at least ten days since she was sent to Briar Ridge by her family, which instantly brought her thoughts to linger back in her mind. Though she's been here for only ten days, to Ariel, being trapped in this place felt like forever. She had to admit that she did miss being home in Atlantica. The thought of being so far away from a place that was her sanctuary scared her to death, especially with the condition that she was in, which she would never forget.

Although Atlantica was her only home, the place where she felt safe and secure, things around that place were not the same, especially with Ariel. About two years ago, it was then when the teenage girl had experience the worse fear of her life that caused such an innocent person to end up in this place.

Ever since Ariel was a little girl, she would never forget the traumatic events that happened to her. Since her mother died when she five years of age, she was raised only by her single income father, as well as her six older sisters. Not being able to afford to send all of his daughters to school, the teenage girl was pretty much home-schooled up until she was eleven years of age, where she started her very first year of middle school, which she deeply regretted.

Never in her life would she have ever thought she would be the victim of constant bullying and name-calling. Since Ariel was such an adventurous human being who loved to sing and swim and hum to herself in her spare time, her peers took this as an opportunity to target her, where she would endure having to hear those crude names echoing through her head, which did result in the teenage girl often sitting and crying in the corner, screaming and begging desperately for her peers to leave her alone, but they refused, which they would interpret seeing her tears and cries of pain and help as a major weakness.

Of course, to the poor teenage girl, it wasn't her fault that she was so different compared to her family and her peers. Her older sisters were more self-reliant and they were able to fend for themselves, on top of that they were very independent and intelligent, unlike Ariel, which made her father worry and fear for the safety of his youngest daughter.

Often, Ariel was more of the troubled and curious child out of the family. Instead of being more like her sisters, she was often getting into trouble, which included her running to God knows where, often getting lost and not being able to find her way out of strange places.

Of course, her father and her eldest sisters worried for their dear lives about her, but lucky for her, they were able to understand so they weren't too entirely hard on her, unlike the rest of her peers, who taunted, bullied, threatened and even ganged up on her with their bare hands, which left the poor teenage girl with purple bruises and the traditional black eye. Ariel would use this as her advantage to hide this from her family, for they would think she was crazier than she already was.

There were times in the middle of the night, where the teenage girl would often cry herself to sleep at night, with the soft sounds of the waves from the gentle ocean on the beach was able to calm her down. Most of the times, the beach was her escape route, so she would always end up there whenever she decided to randomly disappear from her family, away from everything and just let the feel of the warm ocean salt water release all of her tension, soaking her all up and taking her in.

She never fit in with anyone, especially the girls her age. Of course, the boys would join in on the taunting as well, calling her names behind her back, sticking labels on her back that said 'loser' or 'weird child'. Pretty much, she did not have any friends. But most of all, the most traumatic event that continued to haunt her, remembering it like it was just yesterday, she would never forget, ever, no matter how hard she wanted to.

Exactly one year ago, it was almost the end of the school day as all the females were currently finishing up their gym class, where they remained chatting animatedly with another while they were all changing back into their regular clothes, some of the others decided to take a quick rinse in the shower, but of course, the teenage girl decided to take her own personal shower alone in one of the private shower stalls, completely aware of the soft whispering and murmuring of those same crude names that escaped from her fellow peers, but she tried her hardest to ignore them, keeping her head down, careful to avoid any eye contact.

It was then when the teenage girl was letting the warm water soak and drip down her cold skin, her red hair all tangled and mucked up from the warm liquid, which she suddenly discovered something very unusual that was running down the drain with the clear liquid. Worrying and squinting her eyes, trying to desperately find out what that strange thing was, inching closer and closer until it was clear, her eyes widening in terror as she witnessed a red colour, bright red just like her hair, instant panic bubbling in her belly as she witnessed what looked like, blood?

Panicked and confused, it was then when the Ariel discovered that the mysterious blood was coming from none other than between her legs, her eyes following the red watery trail up and down her bare legs through the water. Suddenly, a loud high pitched scream erupted from her mouth as she quickly jumped out of the shower, grabbing a white towel to shield her exposed body as she cowered in a corner, with her classmates instantly bursting out into a fit of laughter, clutching their stomachs as tears pooled out of their eyes.

With Ariel, of course she didn't understand what was going on, for the poor girl thought that witnessing the sight of blood was a sign that she was about to die, as tears of fear pooled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks as she cowered in the corner, rocking her body back and forth. What startled her the most was when one of the girls came right in her face, snickering as she called her a loser and a wimp, then after the cruel comments, she decided to tell her what the sight of the blood really meant, which instantly made the teenage girl's cheeks to flush a deep shade of red just like the colour she saw in the water, as her face turned ghost pale, more tears escaped her eyes as buried her head in her hands, hearing the sounds of the cruel snickers and laughter along with the crude names repeating from her peers, crying even harder as they all ganged up around her, pointing fingers and laughing while some of the recorded and took embarrassing pictures, which eventually scarred the poor girl for life. Of course, she had no idea that she had just started her monthly bleeding and that it was part of life, but that still didn't make her feel any better, at all, which later resulted in leading her to a serious mental illness.

It was then when her father, her sisters, including herself that they all discovered that their youngest, baby girl was suffering from Social Anxiety Disorder. Of course, the family was not aware of this, but once her teachers were able to come forward and explain that the poor girl was a victim of constant bullying and harassment, that's when it all began to make sense, after hearing the doctor's statement about her illness.

Once they found out about this, there hasn't been a time where the poor teenage girl would suddenly become extremely self-conscious with herself, avoiding any person as possible, which resulted in her hiding and locking herself deep inside her dark closet to avoid any kind of social interaction with anyone. It was extremely hard on the family, especially her father, for he feared deeply about his youngest daughter.

Over the year, the family did everything they could to try and help cure her, but nothing ever worked. They tried getting her to see a therapist, but of course that part of the cure failed, for she would refuse to even step foot in the doctor's office, especially someone that was willing to help her, but nothing ever worked. They tried sending her to her grandparents for a while, but still that never worked, which was painful for everyone because being with her grandparents was one of the things Ariel enjoyed, but that all changed, for she was emotionally scarred for life, she would not be the same, happy innocent and carefree girl she once was.

Although her family loved her dearly and they were willing to do whatever they could to cure her, it was then when they all decided and agreed to send Ariel to get some professional help, which of course frightened her, the thought of having to be around a bunch of people she did not know, fearing that she would be rejected and made fun of all over again, literally begging on her knees, crying hysterically and grasping onto her father's leg, pleading for him not to send her away from home, and that she wanted to stay. As much as it pained her father and her sisters to see her so vulnerable and so scared, they had to do what was right for her.

On May 5th, was the day that the teenage girl was shipped off to Briar Ridge Mental Hospital, and has been here ever since. Although the nurses were very friendly and warm and welcoming, she still felt extremely nervous around them, except for Nurse Fiona, where she felt that she was starting to somewhat warm up to her. Surprisingly already, Ariel only three close friends, the three of them were able to click together in an instant, Rapunzel, Jasmine and Belle.

So as of now, this is where seventeen year old Ariel currently was, locked in a mental hospital for God knows how long, but she tried to push that thought out of her mind as she continued to glide her body through the warm blue water, the feel of the warm chlorine was soothing and relaxing, sticking her head underneath the water, swimming so gracefully like a regular fish, stroking her arms in through the water as she kicked her feet underneath. Even the first day Ariel stepped foot in this place, the first thing she did was swim in the pool and ever since then, she always found herself swimming every night during activities.

Returning to the surface as she popped her head out from underneath the water, inhaling deeply as she took a deep breath, it was then when the sound of a voice immediately snapped her out of her fantasy and thoughts as she came back to reality. Sighing deeply as she expected the voice to come from Nurse Fiona to tell her that her time was up, she turned her body around, fear washing over her face as she realized that it was no Nurse Fiona's voice, not even a voice that belonged to woman, but more of a man, a young man, a handsome looking man.

To the teenage girl, the young man was so handsome and irresistible looking, with his dark black luscious looking hair, he had well-toned physique, which was enough trigger her disorder, her cheeks beginning to turn bright red as she began to blush excessively, her body beginning to tremble, her heart was racing, her palms were pretty much sweating underneath the water, opening her mouth to speak, but her words were caught and wedged deep inside her throat, preventing any sound from coming out.

It caught her off guard when the young man began to clear this throat, as he gave her a soft smile.

"I….I didn't mean to startle you or anything." The young man said gently, even the sound of his voice was enough to bring music to her ears, as she blinked rapidly, quickly putting her head down to avoid any eye contact.

"I don't think I've seen you around before….what's your name?" He asked curiously, his eyes searching hers for an answer, but still, the teenage girl refused to look up from the water, nerves beginning to rush over her.

"My name is Eric, it would….help a lot if I knew your name." Eric said hesitantly with a hint of disappointment in his voice. Without thinking, the teenage girl quickly raised her head so that their eyes met again, opening her mouth to speak.

"I-I…I….m-my name i-is….u-um…." Ariel stammered heavily, immediately feeling the warm tears trickle down her cheeks in embarrassment, which instantly brought sympathy Eric's face.

"It's okay." He said gently, sticking out his hand and was able to grasp her little hand with is as he gently pulled her closer that their faces were just inches apart, which the teenage girl was forced to look at, despite the tears rolling down her cheeks as the hairs on her arm began to stand up, with her heart racing rapidly inside of her chest. "You don't have to be afraid of me."

Shaking her head, she attempted to try her hardest to speak again. "I-I…u-umm…I-I…..I-I'm…..Ari-…u-um….."

"Ari?" Eric questioned with a confused look on his face. With Ariel feeling so embarrassed and ashamed of herself, she quickly ripped her hand right out of his grasp as she jumped out of the pool, grabbing a towel as she rushed passed him, sprinting out of the pool room, well aware of his curious and disappointed gaze glued to her back, throwing open the doors as she dashed down the stairs, trying desperately to get to her room to avoid any kind of social interaction with anyone.

Goosebumps began to rise on her skin as she whisked quickly down the hall when suddenly, she landed smack into another individual, keeping her head down in embarrassment, but was relieved to find it was only Nurse Fiona.

"Ariel, sweetie, is everything alright?" Nurse Fiona asked gently, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders in comfort, only to have Ariel shake her head as she burst into hysteric tears, with Nurse Fiona gathering the teenage girl in her arms, pulling her into a comfort hug as she gently stroked her hair, whispering soothing words to her.

"It's okay sweetie, nothing is going to hurt you." The female nurse said softly. "Come on, why don't we go get you all dried up and changed for bed." She suggested as she slowly guided Ariel down the hall, with the teenage girl still clutching desperately onto her, her mind beginning to linger back to the incident that happened in the pool room.

0-0-0

It was now currently 8:30pm, and all of the remaining patients were either preparing themselves for bed, while some continued to keep themselves occupied either in the rest room with the television or located in the other rest room down the hall, which was where the teenage girl remained with only two of her close friends except for Jasmine, who was probably sleeping right now, remaining in her comfy, pink nightdress with her fuzzy pink slippers, enjoying and sipping on warm cup of hot chocolate, along with the rest of her friends. Silence filled the air between the three as they were all enjoying their hot sweet drink, but Rapunzel was the first to break the silence.

"I hate having to be strapped down to those hospital beds while the nurses stick me with all these different needles. I hate this place." Rapunzel complained sadly, nursing her now sore arm, remaining in her purple silky pyjamas with her furry purple slippers, only to have Belle look at her in sympathy.

"It will be okay, Rapunzel. It's not your fault that you keep having panic attacks randomly." Belle said soothingly, placing a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder, remaining her blue silky nightgown, with her blue slippers.

"I know, but I doubt everything will be okay with me." Rapunzel sighed deeply, lifting herself up from the couch.

"Where are you going?" Ariel asked her friend curiously.

"I'm going to head to bed, I just feel so tired after everything that happened to day." Rapunzel explained. "I-I'll see you guys tomorrow." And with that, she quietly made her way up the stairs until she was clear out of sight, leaving only Ariel and Belle remaining in the rest room, sipping their hot chocolates, which made Ariel somewhat relieved.

As much as Ariel deeply loved and appreciated having Rapunzel and Jasmine's company, she preferred to spend most of her times with Belle alone. To Ariel, Belle was her closest friend out of the three of them, and she felt the most comfortable around her, where she was slowly and somewhat beginning to open up to her about her personal life back home, and Belle was one of many to relate exactly how Ariel feels when it comes to engaging in social interactions with other people.

If one thing was for sure, the reason why Ariel had such a strong connection with Belle was mainly because she was going through the exact same thing, whereas with Jasmine and Rapunzel, those two had more of a connection with each other as well, since they are both going through their own similar disorders. Despite their age difference, they were the both inseparable, practically sisters. But to Ariel, Belle was more of the older sister/motherly type, where Belle was able to comfort her and give her some advice and to be there for her when she needed someone, and of course, Belle saw Ariel as her little sister, and Ariel could tell that Belle felt the exact same about her as well.

A deep sigh escaped from Ariel's mouth as the thought of Eric began to overflow her mind, seeing his face, his smile, which was enough to bring fear and embarrassment boil inside of her, shaking her head from the thoughts.

"What's wrong?" Belle's voice broke her thoughts, as she quickly turned her attention back towards her.

"J-Just…..t-thinking…."Ariel replied nervously.

"Thinking about…..what?" Belle asked curiously. A nervous sigh escaped from Ariel's mouth.

"Belle…..h-have you e-ever…..came in c-contact with the o-other patients b-before?" Ariel stammered nervously, even though she felt so much more comfortable around Belle, she did still have the stammering and stuttering problem. Belle furrowed her brow in confusion.

"N-not necessarily….b-but I have come in contact with one of them before." Belle explained gently.

"You have? What happened?" Ariel asked curiously, turning her attention to face her friend.

"I-I….accidently bumped into this girl when I was….coming out of the cafeteria a-a few days ago." Belle explained. "W-we looked at each other….but before she had time to say anything….I just…quickly grabbed my stuff and ran off."

"W-what happened after that?"

"Nothing, I just ran and hid inside my room for the rest of the day." Silence arose between the two friends, but obviously Belle could tell that there was something bothering Ariel.

"What's wrong, Ariel? D-did something…happen?" Belle asked her friend worriedly, placing a hand on her shoulder, with the teenage girl putting her head down in shame and embarrassments, letting a few tears roll down her face.

"I-I…..when I was swimming…..this guy….h-he….took my hand….asked me my name…..tried to tell him…..I-I couldn't…..felt s-so e-embarrassed!" The teenage girl stammered continuously as more tears rolled down her cheeks, her voice was shaking, with Belle gently pulling her into a comforting hug.

"It's okay Ariel, i-it's not your fault, and you don't have to feel ashamed or embarrassed. You're still adjusting, we all are." Belle said comfortingly, with Ariel closing her eyes and letting the warm tears fall down her face, taking in every one of Belle's words.

"Besides, we're supposed to be helping each other so that we can all get better." Belle responded gently, with Ariel nodding her head in agreement, as the two friends sat in silence, completely unaware of the time, which was now 8:55pm, which meant five minutes until it was time for bed. Once 9:00pm hit, everyone had quickly scattered to their bedrooms, quickly shutting the lights out at everyone fell into their own peaceful rests.

0-0-0

It was around 9:30pm and everyone else had fallen into a deep rest, all except for one person. After all the rolling and thrashing about on the bed with the thin covers, Ariel lie motionless on her bed, staring blankly at the now dark ceiling above her, her room was completely pitch black, and the heat inside the little room was definitely not helping.

Even when the pinks spaghetti straps of her nightdress fell slightly off her shoulder, she still felt hot, the hot humid air soaking in her system, and she instantly missed the feel of the cool pool water on her skin, wanting to desperately just sneak down the dark hallways and just jump into the pool, but rules are rules, and she had to obey them.

If it was one thing she would admit, she missed being at home. She missed being able to just run out and completely abandon her home to dash to the beach and enjoy the warm salt water on her skin. She missed the feel of it, she missed the taste of it, and she missed everything about it. But being here for ten days, she had to admit, she felt more welcome here than anything, and surprisingly, she was able to form close friendships, especially one with Belle.

Instantly, her mind lingered back to the incident that happened in the pool earlier today, bumping into handsome Eric and having to literally be forced to make eye contact and even try to interact with him. Even though she immediately felt a physical/somewhat of a sexual attraction to him, she could not bear to be around him. She knew deep down that being around him would make her more self-conscious than she already was, and that meant her issue would only grow worse and she would have to end up being stuck here in this place for longer, which she did not want to have happen, she needed to get herself better and healthy again.

Seeing his beautiful chocolate brown eyes staring into hers, feeling his strong but warm, gentle tender hand on hers, his hot breath on her lips, seeing his toned physique and of course, his deep, low musical voice immediately began to make her body tremble, as she felt her cheeks blushing excessively, feeling the rush of heat race up to her cheeks. Pretty soon, being in this small room was beginning to suffocate her, making her feel claustrophobic. Sighing in defeat, Ariel quickly threw off her covers, slipping her bare feet into her fuzzy slippers as she quietly made her way towards the door.

Twisting the silver knob, she quietly poked her head out the door, slipping outside as she shut the door slowly and quietly, making her way down the hall, deciding that she was thirsty for a little cup of water as she made her way towards the tiny noisy water filter, hearing the water bubbling inside, which instantly brought calmness to her ears.

Once Ariel reached the filter, she sheepishly grabbed a small plastic cup as she filled her cup with cold water, instantly bringing the cup to her mouth as she gulped the entire thing down in one gulp, leaving the remaining tiny little drops of the clear liquid at the bottom of the cup. Deciding to go for another fill, she gulped at least four cups of water down in a matter of five minutes, letting the cool liquid calm her down, the cool water was cooling her insides, draining the heat inside of her.

Too full to take another swig, she quickly disposed the plastic cup in the garbage, making her way back towards her room, feeling completely exhausted when all of a sudden, a strange sound interrupted her thoughts, immediately waking her up as she furrowed her brow. The sound was a strange sound, but it sounded somewhat familiar. It sounded like it belonged to a young woman, sounding almost as if she was crying or screaming softly. But what could she be screaming or crying from?

Curious, Ariel quietly continued to follow the sound of the young woman, which was coming from down this hall, behind her. She quietly tiptoed, pressing her ears against each of the doors, hearing if the crying was coming from one of the rooms. Again, the woman's cries began to grow slightly louder, which made the teenage girl's heart begin to race inside of her, her palms beginning to sweat viciously as she quickly hurried down the hall in search of the crying and the screaming.

Once she felt she was close enough with the sound of the crying growing louder and louder with each step she took that brought her closer, Ariel quickly rushed towards the room, right exactly where the crying and the screaming was coming from. Pressing her ear against the door, she was surprised to find that the door was open and not locked like it usually was. Without even thinking, she grabbed hold of the knob, twisting it open gently and slowly as she quietly pushed open the door just a crack, and to her shock and her horror, Ariel's eye widened in terror, her jaw dropping open as she was witnessing what made her heart sink deep into her stomach.

Right inside the slightly dark room, the teenage girl was witnessing a young woman with golden blonde hair, a slim body and she looked like she was in her early twenties, being pinned down on the rough carpeted ground, completely exposed in nothing but her underwear, screaming and crying, with a man on top of her, pinning her down roughly, holding her hands behind her back as he grabbed hold of the back of her neck, threatening her, covering her mouth with his strong hand.

The man looked no older than twenty four or twenty five, with his big muscles and he had long, sleek shoulder length black hair. From what the now frightened and shocked teenage girl could see, this man was repeatedly raping this poor innocent woman over and over, with every cry she let out, he thrust harder, with Ariel covering her mouth in shock, a gasp escaping from her mouth, which was loud enough for the man to hear as he quickly whipped his head to look in Ariel's direction, his piercing and threatening glare startled her as she stumbled back, not being able to tear her frightful eyes away from him or what was happening in front of her.

Before Ariel could react, the man glared at her, growling under his breath as he pointed his finger at her.

"Get out!" The man demanded angrily, but Ariel did not move, she couldn't move, she was in too much shock to move a single bone in her body; she couldn't even tear her eyes away from the horrible sight in front of her. But that's when it startled her, snapping her back to her thoughts.

"GET OUT!" The man screamed as Ariel quickly shut the door, a little too loud than she had intended but thankfully, no one heard. Breathing heavily, she quickly ran back to her room, rushing down the hall with so much adrenaline filling inside of her as she raced inside to her room, slamming the door shut behind her, leaning her body against the door as she her breathing became heavier and heavier, sliding her body down on the ground as she began trembling, shaking from what she had just seen.

The image was enough to traumatize her, scarring her for life, completely unable to un-see what had just happened. Seeing that woman so helpless made her heart sink, and what made things worse was the fact that she just stood there and watched it, not making an effort to do anything to help. Of all the days she's been here, this has been the first time she's ever witnessed something as horrible as

this.

Ariel knew that she had to tell someone, and she had to do it fast, but what if no one would believe her? What if they thought she was crazier than usual? Breathing heavily, she buried her head in her arms as she began to sob silently, confused, traumatized and frightened all at the same time, was enough to consume her.

All Ariel knew that she was definitely going to be stuck in this place longer than she expected, and of course, she needed to alert someone about this incident, as soon as possible.

_**Hey guys, so after the vote, I decided to do an individual chapter about Ariel, since she was in the lead. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and I will be happy to take more requests, as long as you all take the time to vote for which character you would love to see so badly. Oh and by the way, that little scene with Ariel in the shower where she discovered the blood, was definitely a 'Carrie' reference. After watching the original version of the movie, the thought of that scene literally popped in my head and I thought it was perfect to write about for Ariel. Anyways, next chapter will feature Mulan again. So please, don't forget to vote and R&R! Thanks guys!**_


	10. Mulan: May 16th

**Chapter 10: Mulan, May 16****th**

The bright yellow sun rose right up from its peak, shining brightly down all over the quiet state of Colorado, the bright sunlight spilled in through the stained glass window and bounced right off of the young woman's face, the brightness made her eyes flutter viciously and soon, Mulan slowly rose up from her sleeping form, yawning and stretching every single muscle in her body.

It has been approximately six days since Mulan first stepped foot into this place and so far, she was slightly beginning to adjust to being away from home, even though she missed home terribly, but one thing she would admit, she did not miss one person in particular, and that person was her father. Every single day since she's been here, she would always remember seeing his angry eyes, his look of disgust and hatred towards her ever since that tragic incident happened a year back and she had been diagnosed with this type of illness. But it was not her fault that she was like this, she didn't ask for this to happen to her. Part of her would always blame her father; blame him for being weak and disabled. If he hadn't been so careless as to do something stupid and permanently injure his leg right before the battle against the Huns, the young woman would not have had to disguise herself as man, impersonate a soldier and take her father's place in the army.

But then again, she was the big person and after all, Mulan did it because deep down, she loved her father, she cared about him and she was willing to get herself killed so that he could live, and how does he thank his only daughter, who is currently suffering from PTSD, along with having to endure those brutal and horrible attacks? He ships her off to some 'looney bin' –as he would call it- that is such a far distance from home to a place that was so unfamiliar to her, all because he refused to 'deal' with her any longer.

Just thinking about this, a sad sigh escaped from Mulan's lips, chewing on her lower lip to prevent the tears from rolling down her cheeks, but failed. But one good thing she would admit was the fact that she had her two good friends, Esmeralda and Megara, to help keep her on track and to protect her, since she was the most damaged mentally and emotionally out of the three of them.

Wiping her tears from her eyes, she realized that the day was just about to begin, hearing that familiar soft knock on her door which slightly startled her, but was relieved to hear Nurse Fiona's voice from the other side of the door as she quietly entered inside the young woman's room to collect her for breakfast, which would be starting in less than two minutes.

Pretty soon, the cafeteria was already flooded with the rest of the remaining patients, as they all dug into their meals like hungry lions, the delicious smell of the freshly cooked scrambled eggs, the smell of pancakes, waffles and bacon filled the entire cafeteria and everyone else just minded their own business and continued to enjoy their meals.

The young woman took her regular seat, which was in the far corner along with her two good friends, Esmeralda and Meg, the three of them completely isolating themselves away from everyone else, wanting to keep only to themselves and no one else. Again, Mulan and Meg were the only two that were currently digging into their meals, scarfing down their food so viciously, well mainly Meg was the only one doing so, while Esmeralda on the other hand, continued to stare down absent minded at the meal in front of her, which was still untouched as it stared right back at her.

Of course, Mulan noticed her friend was not eating as she slowly put her fork down, her brown eyes scanning over the woman sitting next to her, waiting for at least any sort of movement from her, but nothing. Finally, Meg also noticed this as she lifted her head from her meal, her purple eyes scanning over the woman sitting across from her. After what seemed like two minutes of silence and no movement, Meg was the first to break the silence.

"Esme, I'm sure taking one little bite wouldn't hurt." Meg said to her friend sympathetically, with Mulan nodding her head in agreement, but Esmeralda did nothing but sigh deeply, shaking her head.

"Guys, I-I…..I really can't do this. I just can't." Esmeralda said sadly, tearing her gaze away from the meal in front of her. Seeing her friend so depressed and also damaged, Mulan gently reached over and grasped her small hand with Esmeralda's, giving her a slightly tight reassuring squeeze that everything was going to be okay, which was surprising to her because Mulan was never the one to be so forward with anyone, especially physically, but with Esmeralda, she felt the most comfortable around her and she felt as though she could trust her, and Meg as well.

Seeing this, Esmeralda's emerald immediately met the young woman's innocent pleading brown ones, as they both exchanged soft smiles with one another.

"I'm sorry you guys, it's just…this is very hard for me to adjust to." Esmeralda explained sadly. "I just can't do it."

"Esme don't say that." Meg said. "I know this is extremely hard for you. Trust me, I know, it's hard for me too."

"She's right." The young woman said quietly, her voice was so low that both Meg and Esmeralda weren't sure if she had said anything or not, probably because she has been so mute and quiet ever since the three of them got here. Seeing both their confused and curious eyes on her, Mulan immediately put her head down in embarrassment, her cheeks beginning to blush furiously. But of course, the two women were able to see that Mulan still needed some adjusting, which immediately brought sympathy to their faces as they focused their attention on her.

"Mulan, it's okay. You don't have to be nervous or scared around us. You can trust us." Esmeralda said gently, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder, with Mulan keeping her head down, not making any eye contact with either of them.

"She's right, Mulan." Meg responded. "You can trust us. We're not here to judge, we're supposed to be helping each other out." Silence filled the air amongst the three women, until the sound of the chair squeaking against the marble floor broke the silence, with Mulan slightly startled as she jolted her head up, curious to find Meg standing above them, quickly rising from her seat, as if she was in a hurry to get somewhere.

"Where are you going, Meg?" Esmeralda asked curiously, raising her eyebrows in worry, but Meg just shook her head.

"I-I um….I just have to um….find Nurse Helen….just to ask her about something." She responded, a little too quickly as she dashed out of the cafeteria and threw open the doors until she completely vanished disappearing, with both Mulan and Esmeralda's curious gazes still glued to the doors that just flew open and closed in a blur. Turning her attention back to her plate, the young woman realized that her plate was completely empty, scraped clean with little tiny bits of food still remained sticking to the paper plate.

"I-I'm…..just going to go throw this out." She said quietly as Esmeralda nodded, slowly rising from the table as she grabbed hold of her tray and quickly headed over towards the garbage can, not wanting any of the patients to witness her quick movements. Quickly disposing her empty paper plate inside the garbage can, she turned around and began to make her way back to join Esmeralda at the table when all of sudden, the young woman bumped smack right into another individual, more like the individual's chest.

Confused and startled to death, she realized that she was now standing face to face (well face to chest) with another individual, more like a male individual, which immediately brought chills and shivers up her spine, her body beginning to tremble as she recognized exactly who this person was. With hesitation, Mulan slowly lifted her head from the view of the male's chest, her eyes slowly making their way from his chest up all the way to his face, a face that she recognized all so well, and the face that she desperately wanted to forget.

Seeing that same exact chiselled and sculpted face, his massive muscles and well-toned physique and that same nervous look that he had on his face the minute he first met her. Once her eyes made contact with his, the young woman's heart began racing, racing rapidly inside her chest, keeping her hands clenched tightly at her sides as her palms began to sweat, her hands beginning to shake. After a few minutes of awkward silence and nervous stares, the young man was the first to break the silence.

"I-I….didn't mean to scare you…." Shang said nervously, keeping his eyes trained on her, but Mulan just continued to stare with so much fear and embarrassment and humiliation in her eyes, not saying a word.

"Are um…..are you alright?" Shang asked gently, which he could tell that she was extremely frightened with the look in her eyes as she put her head down, ripping her gaze from his.

"You're not….still s-scared of me….are you?" He asked sadly with a hint of disappointment and hurt in his tone, but the young woman just kept her head down, not wanting to look into his eyes as more shivers ran up her spine, her whole body was beginning to shake and tremble.

"I-I…..I have to go." Mulan whispered as quietly as she quickly ran passed him, completely aware that his curious and sad gaze was still glued to her back, literally dashing back towards the table where Esmeralda was sitting, still staring down at her now cold meal. Pulling out her chair with such force, she plopped down on her seat, still keeping her head down, slightly rocking her body back and forth, and squeezing her eyes shut tightly. Of course, Esmeralda witnessed Mulan's sudden change in attitude as she looked up from her food, staring in awe and sympathy at the now frighten young woman in front of her.

"Mulan, what's wrong?" Esmeralda asked gently, but Mulan just shook her head, keeping her eyes shut tight, not able to say a word.

"Did something happen?" She asked again, this time she was definitely worried as she reached over to grasp Mulan's shaking hand gently, her hands were so soft and delicate that she was afraid to even squeeze it just tiny bit, fearing that her firm grasp would only break her fragile hand, which was still trembling underneath hers.

Before Esmeralda could get another word in, the sound of the chair scratching against the polished marble floor cut her off, startling the both of them as Mulan instantly snapped her head up, but they were both relieved to find that it was only Meg who had decided to come back and join them, her face looked pale which had sadness and embarrassment painted all over it.

"What took you so long?" Esmeralda asked gently, but Meg just shrugged her shoulders as she kept her eyes down on the table, not wanting to make any eye contact.

"I-I just…needed to ask Nurse Helen something…" Meg lied casually, the words slipping out of her mouth so quickly.

"And it took you almost an hour to just talk to her briefly?" Esmeralda asked, knitting her eye brows in concern, Meg's face was red as tomato as she kept her head down.

"Yeah….I guess so…." Meg said quietly. "I mean let's face it, she can talk a lot sometimes….."

"No…actually, she doesn't…" Esmeralda responded, sounding so clueless that her mind was beginning to jumble up inside, but she quickly shook her head and shrugged that off, focusing her attention back on Mulan, who still looked frightened and pale as ever, her hands were still grasping onto hers.

"Mulan, what happened?" Esmeralda asked again gently, but still, Mulan refused to answer as her body began to tremble was again, her breathing was quickening and her heart was racing rapidly inside of her. Meg suddenly noticed this as she also had a look of worry and sympathy on her face, eyeing the young woman down carefully.

"What happened? Is she okay?" Meg asked Esmeralda quietly.

"I don't know, I mean something did scare her for sure, but she won't tell me what's wrong." Esmeralda explained softly as the two women focused their attention back on their friend.

While the both of them continuously and gently coaxed the young woman to confess what had startled her, it was then when Mulan suddenly felt a shiver up her spine, that same shiver she always felt when he was around, or when she just so happened to be around him, as she lifted her gaze to wonder around the medium sized claustrophobic lunch room, when her eyes suddenly met Shang's brown ones again, with the two of them both exchanging long gazes at one another. His was curious with a hint of hope twinkling in his eyes, while hers was filled with fear and terror, her heart nearly leaped out of her chest, her body beginning to tremble more, the shiver was now ice cold as it shot right up her spine, letting out a silent gasp in fear as she quickly ripped her gaze away from his, focusing her eyes on the table in front of her, her breathing was heavy as a subtle whimper escaped from her mouth as she fought with herself to erase his image out from her head.

"Mulan?" A voice interrupted her thoughts as she slowly lifted her head, only to come face to face with both Meg and Esmeralda, whose expressions were fearful and worrisome.

"Honey, is…._that _guy scaring you?" Esmeralda asked gently, as she pointed her finger in Shang's direction. Of course, Mulan knew exactly who Esmeralda was talking about, trying to force herself not to look back in his direction ever, as she squeezed her eyes shut and nodded quickly.

"What did he do to you?" Meg asked softly, but the young woman said nothing, as she continued to keep quiet.

"Mulan, he's not going to hurt you, I've met him before. He seems like a pretty decent guy." Esmeralda explained gently as she traced her thumb over Mulan's now ghost white knuckles. "Aside from the fact that he as a Bipolar Disorder, he's not that bad of a guy once you get to know him."

Bipolar Disorder? Instantly, the young woman slowly opened up her eyes as she lifted her gaze from the table, eyeing the two women down curiously. _'He's Bipolar?'_ She thought to herself. Upon hearing this, Mulan couldn't help but slowly begin to feel somewhat sorry for this guy, of course, it wasn't her fault because she had absolutely no idea about his condition. To her, he just looked so intimidating and just seeing his face and those brown eyes and his structure, was enough to bring back those horrible and brutal memories of the way she had to suffer, how those men looked so built and well-toned and their chiselled faces, only to have them brutally rape and torture her after her masquerade was discovered and her true identity came out. If she'd known about his disorder, she would have never mis-judged him, but still, she was definitely not able to open up to a complete stranger, especially a male stranger so soon.

"H-he's…..Bipolar?" Mulan asked quietly, as Esmeralda nodded.

"Yeah, he is, and honestly, all he needs right now is a friend, or at least someone that can trust him, he won't hurt anyone."

Hearing this, sympathy and guilt began to form inside of her. Guilt for judging him right off the bat and sympathy because it was obvious that he didn't have many friends or in fact, people that he could trust. Before any of them could get another word it, it was then when the sound of the alarm rang throughout the cafeteria, signalling for everyone that it was time for each individual to attend their private therapy sessions, as everyone literally scattered out of the cafeteria, with Mulan curiously gazing at the now fleeing patients, when again, her gaze caught sight of Shang, as he sadly made his way out of the cafeteria, with his hanging down in shame and sadness, the expression on his face was solemn and gloomy, not bothering to look back one last time as disappeared with the rest of the patients, Mulan's gaze never once leaving his back until he was completely gone.

0-0-0

It was approximately around 9:50am now and all the remaining patients were currently in their own therapy sessions, including Mulan, who was currently inside the little office and as always, cowering in the corner of the leather couch, with her knees hugged tightly to her chest, resting her chin on her knees as she remained still, unmoving, with Nurse Fiona looking over her with worry painted all over her face.

Yes, the young woman had only been here at least six days and still, she was still not yet comfortable to open up to anyone, for fear that one might turn around and attack her out of the blue, but of course, Nurse Fiona wanted to do everything in her power to get this young woman to open up to her about her problems and her issues. Still, has no background whatsoever as to how this woman got her and what caused her to have such an illness and most importantly, what made her so damaged and shaken every time she were to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder. All she knew was that she needed to do something and fast, so she could help to cure this woman.

"Sweetie, I know you're scared and I know that you're still adjusting but, I can't help you if you won't open up and talk to me." Nurse Fiona explained gently, but still, not a word or subtle flinch, as a sigh escaped from her mouth.

"Mulan, why don't you tell me how you've been for the past few days?" The woman suggested kindly. The young woman just kept her gaze focused on the polished glass window, staring off into space. Still, no answer.

It was like this every day since the young woman got here. Twenty minutes of therapy wasted, the office filled with complete silence with Fiona always shifting and fidgeting nervously in her seat. She would have thought that things would have gotten somewhat better with Mulan, but in turns out she was wrong, seeming as if things had gotten worse, feeling as though she was definitely not doing her job right. Silence continued to fill the air, another sigh escaping through the nurse's mouth.

"Sweetie, I want you to know that you can trust me, you don't have to be afraid. I want to help you, and I can't do that unless you tell me." Fiona begged gently, but still, not a single word, or a sound. Sighing in defeat as she gently lifted herself up off the chair, decided to join the young woman on the couch, shifting her weight gently, but hearing all of this movement and feeling the chair slightly sinking next to her was enough to trigger the young woman's disorder, as she whipped her head in the nurse's direction, shifting her body further and further away from her, as her body began to tremble and shake, a soft whimper erupted from inside of her, with Fiona staring at the young woman in awe and shock.

"Mulan sweetie, you don't have to be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you." The woman said softly, but Mulan shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut tightly as she began to rock her body back and forth, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Staring at the frightened young woman in front of her, not just worry was plastered on her face, but her expression was painful, painful to see such an innocent young woman so damaged and frightened of the slightest thing. It was then when a sudden though popped into the woman's head as she slowly but subtly shifted her weight just somewhat closer towards Mulan, but the young woman would not allow her to get any closer as she shifted her weight farther until she was pretty much sitting on the arm on the chair, almost falling off the seat.

"Mulan….." Nurse Fiona said gently as she slowly reached out a hand to touch her, but Mulan shifted farther away, as her body shook, shaking her head, tears rolling down her cheeks, and suddenly out of nowhere, opening her mouth, which nearly startled the nurse.

"No! Don't hurt me! Don't kill me! Please don't kill me! Please!" The young woman screamed, begging desperately as she fell face first on the carpeted ground, with Nurse Fiona shooting up from the couch and rushing over to the young woman's aid, gently helping her off the ground, as Mulan screamed, cried and fought desperately, but thankfully, Fiona was strong enough to control her every move as she did her best to calm her down, pulling her into a hug as she wrapped her arms around her, with the young woman beginning to calm down, whimpering and crying, desperately clutching onto the woman.

"Shh, it's okay sweetie, I won't let anything hurt you. I promise." Fiona whispered gently, holding her close towards her, as she gently helped her off the ground, leading her back towards the couch, still holding her close.

"Would you like a drink of water, sweetie?" She asked softly, as the young woman sniffled and nodded. Fiona quickly shot up from the couch, slipping outside her office as she hurried to retrieve a small plastic cup of cold water for Mulan and in the blink of an eye, she slipped back inside her office, shutting the door quietly as she walked back towards the couch, handing Mulan her cup of water as the young woman took little sips of the cold refreshing beverage. Silence fell upon the two, but Fiona was the first to break the silence.

"Mulan, I know something terrible and tragic has happened to you, and right now, all you're doing is holding it in and I know you're terribly scared to share this with anyone because you don't want to have to remember any of those horrible things again." The woman said quietly, her tone was sympathetic and trustworthy, letting Mulan know that she could trust her with all her might and she would never do anything to hurt her.

"Just take a deep breath, calm down, and tell me what happened."

Slowly, the young woman paused to take another sip of her drink, her lips beginning to quiver, her hands beginning to tremble around the plastic as more tears escaped from her eyes, rolling down her cheeks one by one, closing her eyes shut, as she began to cry silently, with Fiona hugging her in comfort. Slowly, the young woman turned to meet her gaze with the woman's, opening her eyes as her brown ones met her green ones, inhaling a deep breath, as she opened her mouth for the first time to speak.

"B-back in China….I-I disguised myself as a man…..to save my father….b-because he was weak, so he wouldn't….have to fight…..in the army…and I took…his place." The young woman began to confess quietly, more tears rolled down her cheeks.

"And then what happened after that?" The woman asked quietly, as this made Mulan's body tense up even more, squeezing her eyes shut tightly, a stream of tears rolling down her cheeks like a waterfall, trying her hardest to collect herself, as she began to speak.

"I-I…..got injured during a battle…..and they had to fix me…" Mulan began. "I-it was a….deep wound…..and then….that's when…." She tried to finish, but Fiona was able to finish for her.

"That's when they discovered that you were a woman, wasn't it?"

The young woman nodded, keeping her eyes shut tightly, her lips beginning to quiver as her whole body began to shake and tremble, but she decided to suck it up and finish on, even though she did not want to, no matter how much it pained her to do so.

"Yes…..and then…..t-the soldiers…they said that….I had to be punished….so they all took me…..and then they…..they…." Mulan tried to finish, but could not bring herself to do so, but Fiona knew exactly where this was headed, as a look of pain and sorrow filled in her eyes.

"They tortured and raped you, didn't they?" She said gently, as the young woman nodded, not being able to hold back any longer as she burst into hysterical tears, clutching onto the woman desperately as Fiona hugged her close, whispering soothing words to her, as also felt tears well up inside her eyes, but did not dare let them escape.

"They did this to you, because of that, this is why you've been sent here, and this is why you've been diagnosed with PTSD." Fiona said softly, with remorse and sympathy.

"Sweetie, I'm so sorry this happened to you, and I know it's extremely painful that you have to revisit these horrible and tragic memories, but I want you to know that you are not alone, this is why you are here, so you can get serious help." Nurse Fiona explained softly.

"The fact that this happened to you is the main reason why you're so closed up inside, and you have difficulty trusting other people, because you're scared that they might just turn around and attack you all over again." The woman said, as the young woman nodded, her whole body was relaxed as she eventually calmed down.

"With the condition that you're in, you are definitely going to need some psychotherapy to help you, sweetie. But it looks like our time is up, so for now, I want you to keep taking your medication and by tomorrow, you will attend your first psychotherapy session, okay?" The woman said reassuringly, as the young woman nodded, taking in every single word that she said.

Before she could say another word, the big pointy hand had already hit 12:30, meaning that lunch was about to start any minute.

"Okay sweetie, I will walk to you the cafeteria, okay? If there is anything that you need, just come and find me." Fiona said gently, helping the woman off the couch as she guided her towards the door, the both of them slipping out of the office as they made their way down the hallway.

0-0-0

In the blink of an eye, lunch was over, all the patients scattered out of the cafeteria, rushing to get to their own personal activities and have the free time to themselves, with Mulan following closely behind her two friends as the three of them decided to claim the rest room and occupy themselves with a little bit of television, wanting to isolate and keep to themselves from the remaining patients and doctors. Not knowing what to watch, Meg continuously flipped through the channels, the three of them were desperate to find something to watch and to keep them entertained, but sadly failed. Silence filled the air between the three of them, but Esmeralda was the first to break the silence.

"I don't know if this is true or not, but did you guys hear? Word on the street is that one of the female patients spotted another patient supposedly being raped and sexually assaulted by some guy." Esmeralda said, furrowing her brow.

"I didn't hear anything about that actually." Meg said, sounding somewhat shocked. "Do they know who the man was? Or who the patient was?"

"Not that I know of, but I think the nurses are getting a little suspicious around here." Esmeralda said. Just by hearing the word 'rape' and 'sexual assault', Mulan immediately began to tense up, as her body began to tremble, closing her eyes shut and trying her hardest to keep herself under control.

"Did they say when this all happened?" Meg asked.

"Supposedly, it happened during the night while everyone else was sleeping, but poor thing, I feel so sorry for whoever it was that it happened to."

"Yeah I mean, that's some tragic stuff."

"What about you Mulan, did you hear about this?" Esmeralda asked, but Mulan quickly shook her head, her hands beginning to shake.

"No….I didn't actually…" The young woman said quietly, feeling uneasy and nervous about this subject, but she did want to make anything obvious to the two women.

"I'm just curious, if this so called rape did happen, why would this person choose to do it in the night? I mean, all the nurses are probably lurking around this place, wouldn't that person have gotten caught already?" Meg asked, sounding somewhat confused, but Esmeralda was able to understand, as she also thought the exact same thing.

"I don't know, I mean you're right and I agree with you 100%, I mean it is very risky to get away with something like that, especially in a place like this where everyone here watches you like a hawk." Esmeralda said.

As the two women continuously gossiped quietly about this so called mysterious rapist that was supposedly on the loose, Mulan's body began to tremble even more, as the those same thoughts and memories continued to overflow her mind, picturing every single thing that those men did to her, seeing their scarred covered faces and wicked smiles, feeling their strong hands beating her brutally, punching, kicking, groping her, laughing in her face as she cried out desperately in pain, pleading for them to stop. All of these came back to haunt her, and right now with Meg and Esmeralda continuously talking about the 'rape gossip', she immediately began to feel suffocated, claustrophobic even, frightened and terrified, her breathing beginning to quicken as she immediately shot up from the couch, which nearly startled the two women as they both eyed her down curiously.

"Mulan, are you okay?" Esmeralda asked gently, as the young woman shook her head quickly, trying to erase those thoughts from her head.

"I-I…..I just need to….go for a bit." Mulan said quietly.

"Where are you going to go?" Meg asked.

"I um….I'm just….going to go to…the gym upstairs for a bit." The young woman murmured quietly. The two woman exchanged somewhat worried and confused glances with one another, but then they both sighed and nodded, as Mulan quickly sped off from the restroom before either of them could get another word in.

Rushing up the stairs, she quickly hurried inside her room as she slammed the door shut, letting out a soft whimper as she slid down onto the carpet ground, hugging her knees close to her chest, rocking her body back and forth as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying her hardest to erase those memories and thoughts from her brain, but they refused to disappear, haunting her pure thoughts.

It's not that Mulan didn't want to be around Meg and Esmeralda, after all, they are the only two people that she is actually close with in this place and she feels as though she can trust them. Deep down, she didn't want to be alone, she was terrified to be alone and have those memories come back to haunt her, all Mulan wanted, or needed right now was to be with her two close friends. But the minute that word 'rape' came out of their mouths, she knew she had to get out of there sooner or later, she could not take hearing that word repeatedly over again.

Just thinking by hearing it, was enough to trigger her disorder, for every time that word accidently popped up, it was as if her past had come to haunt her, control her, and consume her all at once. All she knew was that if this so called rapist was currently on the loose, then she would never ever come out of her room, ever, for fear that the same thing will happen to her again and she desperately did not want to go through that ever again. Just thinking about that whole situation, Mulan could automatically picture herself as the poor helpless young woman, knowing and feeling the exact same pain and trauma she must be in right now. She couldn't let this happen to her again, she wouldn't.

As she eventually began to calm down, Mulan slowly lifted herself up off the ground, her shaky hand was holding onto the doorknob for support as she was fully, lifted off the ground, sighing deeply as she quietly began to search for some gym clothes in her little drawers, satisfied to have found a gray fitted V-neck t-shirt and a pair of black yoga pants, quickly throwing her clothes as she slipped out of her room, sheepishly making her way down the hallway with her head down, her arms crossed over her chest, feeling a slight chill from the air condition that fled throughout the entire building as small tiny little goose bumps began to rise on her arms.

Thankfully, the hallways were empty and quiet, as everyone else was probably down on the lower level enjoying some their own activities. As much as Mulan may be suffering from PTSD, she was not going to let that stop her from doing what she's always loved doing, working out and exercising. To Mulan, exercising was the best way for her to release all of her stress and tension, and it was able to calm her down and relax her. Back in China, even before she joined the Army, Mulan always loved participating in Mixed Martial Arts, from Jiu-Jitsu to Muy Thai to Kung-Fu, she enjoyed every bit of it, and she would always take up extra time to stay back and practice harder until she got every move right, and she succeeded.

But ever since that traumatic event occurred, she was not able to focus on anything, including her Mixed Martial Arts which was her number one top priority and it pained her to think about how she has missed out on something she loves so dearly, and now since she will currently be stuck in this place for a while, perhaps picking the exercising back up was her escape route, maybe this will help her somewhat with this mental battle.

Letting out a nervous sigh, it was then when she realized that she had made it up to the third floor which where the gym was located, along with a swimming pool right next door, a little art room in case one wanted to draw and paint, a small little room that was painted with a soft blue colour which was a small music room, in case one likes to sing or play the instruments and last, a small little plain room with a thick black mat spread out all over, the room was painted a soft, yet somewhat of a bright shade of yellow, which was calming and soothing to look at.

Sucking in a deep breath, the young woman slowly twisted the silver knob and slipped inside the medium sized gym, the walls were coloured in white, with little bits of brown scratches, a small TV in the top corner and the floor was covered in tiles. It was not the best looking gym, but it was somewhat decent, which was not that big or too small, it was just the right size. There were three treadmills on the left side, three bicycles on the other side in front of a glass mirror, while the rest of the room consisted of strength and weight training equipment.

Being the only person here so far made Mulan feel somewhat uneasy and nervous, but she was determined to at least take the first step and not let anything bother her, right now the important thing was that she was here for herself, to release her tension and stress.

It didn't take her long to decide to hop on the treadmill, her little fingers were shaking slightly as she tapped each of the buttons, the pad was slowly beginning to move underneath her feet, the speed was increasing as she started off with a little walk, but right now, a walk was too soft for her, she needed a boost so she decided to increase her speed on the treadmill, the was beginning to increase faster and faster as she began to pick up her speed and fall into a nice jog, increasing her speed somewhat faster as she pumped her legs and ran for her dear life, breathing in and out through her nose, quickening her pace, pumping her legs, feeling every bit of tension releasing from inside of her body, letting all the fear and stress pour out of her system, closing her eyes as she was enjoying this, every little bit of it.

Mulan didn't stop running, she kept going at it, not stopping to take a small break or anything. She kept her pace fast and she ran, feeling her calves burning inside of her, but she ignored it, completely losing herself, feeling as if everything around her had vanished, disappeared completely, as if nothing had ever happened, feeling back to her old self again, the young woman she once was, the one was laid back, carefree and independent, the one that loved running outside and sniffing the delicate cherry blossoms, the sweet smell still stayed with her, as a soft smile appeared on her face. Exercising had always been her escape route, always taking every opportunity she could to work out or to practice her martial arts, even she would go for a jog at midnight just to feel the cool air kissing her cheeks, inhaling the fresh air through her lungs, letting all of her stress and tension fade and vanish.

After a few minutes-well to Mulan it felt like minutes-it wasn't long until the sound of a voice clearing their throat had awaken her from her thoughts, snapping her eyes open as she tripped over her own two feet and went flying off the treadmill, expecting to literally crack open her head and let the blood ooze out, but instead, Mulan was suddenly caught in mid-air, her face was just inches from the tiled floor as she was gently lifted back up, but it wasn't long until she suddenly began to notice that these hands and arms did not belong to a woman at all. Instead, they felt more like they belonged to a man, but not an old man, a young man to be exact, feeling his strong muscular arms wrapped carefully and gently around her small little waist, and she suddenly realized exactly they belonged too.

Swallowing a big blob of saliva down her throat, she slowly turned her head as her eyes instantly came in contact with exactly who she thought it was, it was him, it was none other than Shang who had caught her and was now holding her, his expression was nervous as he pulled her back up gently, steadying Mulan on her feet, but he did not let go of her.

"Are you alright?" Shang asked gently, his eyes searching hers for an answer, but the young woman immediately tore her gaze away from his, squirming out of his arms quickly as she turned her back towards him as the trembling began once again.

"Look, I'm sorry….I didn't mean to scare you this morning….and right now." He confessed quietly, but his tone was sad with a hint of disappointment. Mulan however, did not say anything, or at least turn around to face him, keeping her back turned towards him, feeling his stare right on her back as shivers ran up her spine.

"I guess, I've tried all I can, if you want me to stay away from you…..then I guess I have no choice but to respect that…" Shang said sadly, as a deep sigh escaped from his mouth, hearing his footfalls walk towards the treadmills, away from her.

Just hearing the sadness in his tone and hearing how vulnerable he was, a form of sympathy bubbled inside of her belly, feeling sorry for him. After all, Esmeralda did say he wasn't that bad of a guy and even Nurse Fiona had mentioned the exact same thing but she refused to listen, which was not making things any better. All she knew was that, Nurse Fiona was right. Even though she has only been here for six days, from her previous therapy sessions, Nurse Fiona had mentioned to her that maybe slowly beginning to open up would be a good thing for her, and it would most likely be the first step towards her recovery, and she did feel guilty this morning about completely ignoring him and shutting him off. Esmeralda was right, he did need a friend, he needed someone he could trust and someone to be there for him, and maybe this might be a good thing for the both of them.

Sucking in a deep breath, she sheepishly turned around to face him, seeing as he was just about to start the machine, when she slowly made her way towards him, keeping her head down, and opening her mouth to speak.

"I'm sorry…" Mulan said quietly, as she was pretty sure he definitely did not hear that but to her surprise he did, as his ears perked up, turning his attention towards her.

"What….what did you just say?" Shang asked gently.

"I-I….I'm sorry…" She responded quietly. "For….shutting you out and being so…..hostile towards you….it wasn't right for me to do that."

Shang's expression softened even more, a rush of sympathy forming inside of him as he stared her up and down, eyeing her carefully, seeing how damaged and traumatized this woman was.

"It's alright, it isn't your fault. I know this may a bit forward to say but….it isn't your fault that you're…..most likely traumatized from something.." Shang said, as Mulan sheepishly nodded, lifting her gaze to meet his.

"I-I…..it's a long story…" The young woman confessed, as silence filled the air between the two.

"What's your name?"

"M-my name is…..Mulan."

"It's nice to….finally meet you, Mulan. I'm Shang….just in case you forgot my name…." Shang said sheepishly, more silence between the two, but again, Shang was the first to break it.

"So…you like to work-out, huh."

The young woman nodded. "Yeah, it's just…..s-something I do….that helps to calm me down….from the stress…"

"You too, huh. Same goes for me too." Shang said, only to have Mulan blink twice before she answered.

"Really?"

Shang nodded. "Yeah, it does. Maybe if you want…we could….work out together sometime…just the two of us…"

For some odd reason instead of feeling uneasy about this whole situation and his suggestion, Mulan couldn't help but feel somewhat of an attraction to this guy. To her, Esmeralda was right, he does seem like a nice guy, preferably someone she could trust and talk to, and have a deep conversation with, and after all, he was pretty handsome now that she had gotten the chance to take a better look at him, sheepishly eyeing his shirtless chest up and down.

"I-I…..think….I-I would like that…" Mulan said sheepishly, only to have a soft small smile spread across his face, his smile was perfect and to die for and it felt comforting in a way, which only made Mulan blush even more.

"Well, um….I guess I'll let you go now…." Shang said sadly, breaking the silence as he turned back to focus on the machine in front of him. Instead of just rushing out the door without a goodbye, the young woman found herself just standing there awkwardly, watching him, her eyes never once leaving him, as she watched his fingers push the buttons. Even though she didn't know him all that well, part of her wanted to just stay here with him, after all she did not want to be alone and having him as company wouldn't hurt for a while. Instead, she found herself sheepishly hopping onto the treadmill that was right next to his, as he curiously peaked over towards her, furrowing his brow in confusion.

"Um…I-I….I think I'll stay here…for a little while." Mulan said quietly, which put that same soft comforting smile on his face, with Mulan blushing as small soft smile appeared on her face, sheepishly turning her head to focus on the machine, as the two began jogging together.

**Hey guys! I'm so glad that I received decent amount of votes for the poll to this story, honestly, you guys are the best and if it weren't for any of you, I'd probably be stuck with writer's block for this. Anyways, I'm so glad that you all enjoyed Ariel's chapter and don't worry, there will plenty more minor characters ahead as well as the four leading ladies, Megare/Jane/Esmeralda and Mulan. Anyways, I decided that I will leave some comments below for my reviewers! Again, don't forget to vote for your favourite character that you would like to see on the poll! Next chapter features Meg again!**

**Onto the reviews for the lastest chapter!**

**Guest: **I will definitely do Jane again very soon just for you, don't you worry, she will come sooner than you know it

**Celia: **Aww thank you so much! It means a lot and I'm glad you are enjoying this! I will definitely do a chapter on Belle!

**Justdance111: **Haha thank you so much! I really appreciate you taking the time to read this!

**Brittanastarkid: **You definitely guessed right! I was definitely inspired by Carrie after watching the movie and I thought it would be a perfect fit for Ariel

**Supersmashkingdomhearts1999: **Aha thank you girly! I'm so sorry I didn't get to PM you back, but I will for sure first thing in the morning! Hopefully you will see this, lol! You're the best!

**Roninarnia: **Just wait and see…..:)

**Wolf's Willow: **Thank you so much for taking the time read this, it really means a lot and yah aha, the rape scene was even hard for me to right but I managed to get through. Oh and you have to wait and see I'm glad you're enjoying this !:)

**Ms. Emily Vega: **Ah thank you girl! LOL aww don't be mad at poor Ariel, the poor thing was traumatized, lol! Haha thanks girl!:) You're the best!

**Suzerenma: **As always, thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement It really means a lot to me! You're the best!:)

**Thanks so much for the reviews guys! Until the next chapter…**


	11. Megara: May 17th

**Chapter 11: Megara, May 17****th**

It was currently around 4:45pm at Briar Ridge, meaning that 4:30pm was the time that the patients were able to make long distance phone calls to their family members and loved ones back home. The day seemed to go by in the blink of an eye and already, it was only late afternoon/early evening.

Many of the other patients have already finished their own personal phone calls, while some were currently still in progress, with most of them literally in tears, crying into the phone about how much they missed being home, or when they were going to see their families ever again. Mostly everyone missed being home dearly, all except for one person, and Meg was that specific person.

Right now, Meg was currently in the progress of speaking to her mother on the phone, with her mother attempting to comfort her daughter in some, but nothing was working, for the young woman still held a deep grudge for her parents sending her away to this place. Her mother had asked how she was doing and if she was getting any help or at least feeling a bit better, but of course, Meg's response was nothing but harsh and bitter words.

"Honey, please don't be upset. Your father and I just wanted to do what was best for you." The older woman pleaded on the other line, which caused Meg to roll her eyes in response, a frustrated sigh escaped from her mouth as she held the plastic phone to her ear.

"That's always your excuse, isn't it?" The young woman spat harshly into the phone. "You always _think_ you know what's best for me!"

"Meg, dear, please don't start, all we both want is for you to get better, this is a serious problem." The older woman replied sternly.

"Oh and so you thought by sending me three or four hours away from home was the best way to help cure my problem?" Meg scolded.

"Meg, you really need to get rid of this harsh and bitter attitude, this is getting old. I've put up with it too much and right now, it needs to stop." The older woman scolded back on the other line, which caused to scoff in annoyance, growing more and more annoyed and angry with this conversation.

"You don't get it do you?"

"I don't get what, Meg, what don't I get?"

"You just don't get the fact that I don't _want _to be here!" The young woman said angrily, her voice beginning to rise, which caused awkward and curious stares and gazes in her direction.

"Oh Meg, we've been over this a hundred times already, we are doing this for your own-"

"My own good? Mom, I'm twenty-one years old for crying out loud! I should be making my _own _decisions and I don't need you or dad completely taking over my life! I'm sick of it!" The young woman snapped angrily, already on the verge of tears, but she did not let them escape from her eyes.

There was a long pause. None of the two women said a word to each other, with Meg pretty much glaring through the phone, as well her mother, who was doing the exact same thing on the other line. Silence continued to fill the air between the two, but the older woman was the first to break it, as Meg heard a deep sigh escape from her mouth through the receiver, opening her mouth to speak.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, but for now, this is where you need to be for the time being, getting _help_." The older woman said gently through the speaker, her voice was still firm and strict, but for now, she knew that fighting and arguing with her only daughter was not the best thing, especially since she's only been here for six days, which meant that Meg still needed some adjusting, but of course, the young woman couldn't care less, clearly not in the forgiving mood.

"I don't know why I bother to answer your phone calls if all we keep doing is arguing over this." The young woman muttered bitterly.

"Honey, we can work this out, I promise, you just need more adjusting-"

"I don't want to hear this anymore mom, goodbye!" Meg spat, immediately interrupting her mother as she slammed the phone on the receiver, instantly ending the phone call, as she glared down angrily at the phone, muttering and cursing under her breath, lifting herself up off the seat as she quickly brushed past the patients, who were all giving her curious gazes that remained glued to her back as she threw open the doors from the phone room, making her way down the hallway.

If one thing was for sure, Meg was one to hold a grudge for a very long time, she was definitely not one to just brush something off her shoulder and automatically be willing to take you in her arms and forgive you again, no, she was not that kind of person at all. Instead, she would hold on to the memories, keep them bottled up inside, which was why she was negative all the time and had a hard time getting along with others and making friends. Aside from Hercules and her new found friends, Esmeralda and Mulan, the young woman never got along with anyone and on top of that, she was not very good at expressing herself or the type of person to open up so easily to another.

As much as she was still insanely furious with both of her parents, especially Adonis, one thing she would admit, was that she deeply missed them and home, even though right now she did not display any kind of love or affection towards her mother, she missed her, she missed having her there with her when she needed her. Although Meg would come across as the independent type, there were times when she did need her mother, but of course being the stubborn young woman she was, she would not admit that to anyone. But she knew deep down, that this was not her parents' fault at all and she knew that she had no right to blame them for putting her here. The person was mainly to blame for all of this and the person that she deeply hated with a burning passion was Adonis.

Still to this day, she would remember hearing his harsh words, the way how he would look at her with disgust and hatred in his eyes, and the fact that he would forget all about her and flirt with other women in front of her to make her feel insecure with how the way she looked, but she would not do nothing to defend herself, instead she would take it, take everything he said and did to her. Meg remembered the time where Adonis had embarrassed her in front of every single person, yelling at the top of his lungs of how ugly and fat she was and in the blink of an eye, it happened all so fast that all she could remember was waking up in the hospital, with sudden pain shooting up her spine with every little move she made, which resulted in her having a black eye, with black and blue bruises running up and down her arms along with a cracked rib cage. Ever since then, her ribs have not healed properly, for sometimes she would wake up with a sudden spasm, crying and whimpering in the night from being in so much pain.

Just remembering those memories, her blood began to boil, scowling and glaring, trying her hardest to fight back the tears, wiping them away viciously with the sleeve of her shirt. If it wasn't for Adonis and his selfish self, she would not be here; she would not have been diagnosed with Bulimia.

It wasn't long until all of a sudden, the young woman bumped smack, right into another individual, which caused her blood to boil even more, for was not in the mood to talk to anyone at this point.

"What the hell?" She demanded bitterly, as she suddenly realized that the person she had bumped into was none other than her best friend, Hercules, with a confused look on his face, as her face softened, immediately regretting the harsh and bitter words that she allowed to spill out of her.

"I-I'm sorry Herc, I didn't mean to snap at you like that, I thought you were….someone else." Meg mumbled apologetically, with Hercules staring at his friend in sympathy, automatically knowing that something was wrong.

"It's okay, Meg." He said gently. "Bad day?" He asked, but the young woman was quick to answer, shaking her head in response.

"N-no…..everything's just….peachy I guess…" She mumbled quietly, tearing her gaze away from his, but of course with him being her closest friend, Hercules knew her better than anyone, and right now, the young man could tell that his best friend was lying right through her teeth as he stared her up and down, eyeing her carefully.

"You don't have to lie, you know. I know something is wrong." Hercules responded, with a somewhat troublesome tone to his voice.

"Nothing's wrong, I'm fine." Meg said quickly as she turned to head in the other direction, but was suddenly stopped short when she felt his strong hand grab hold of her arm gently, pulling her towards him as she kept her head down, staring down at the marble floor that was underneath her feet.

"What happened? You know you can tell me anything." He said gently, not letting go of her arm as if he was trying to prevent her from attempting to make another quick escape. Sighing in defeat, the young woman lifted her eyes to meet his blue curious ones, opening her mouth to speak.

"I just…..I got into another argument with my mother on the phone, that's all that happened." The young woman explained in surrender, which caused a concerned expression to appear on the young man's face.

"Again? What happened this time?"

"The same thing….over and over again….." Meg said, sighing in frustration as she shook her head to get forget about everything that just happened literally a few minutes ago. "Sometimes, I just wish that I wasn't forced to talk to her everyday….we just end up fighting and arguing over the same thing."

Upon hearing this, the young man slowly began to grimace, a subtle frown crept on his face as he withdrew his hold on her arm, walking past her as he made his way into the rest room, plopping his weight onto the couch and staring at the wall in front of him, with that same angry look on his face. Confused and curious, the young woman slowly followed her best friend into the rest room, as she shifted her weight onto the couch right next to him, eyeing her best friend down carefully, trying to figure him out.

"Are you alright?" Meg asked softly, not taking her violet eyes off of his big form. Sighing heavily, the young man spoke.

"You should at least be thankful that your mother makes an effort to call you every day." Hercules said, his voice was clear as day, not taking his eyes off the slightly cracked painted wall.

"What are you talking about? I-I don't know…..what you mean…." The young woman said quietly, her sentence beginning to trail off.

Letting out a heavy and painful sigh, the young man began to speak.

"From the day I got here, I have not received at least one phone call from my family, or even my relatives, and I've been here in this place for five months. I just…..feel as though they're trying their hardest to….just forget about me….forget that I even existed…." Hercules confessed angrily, with a hint of sadness to his tone.

After having to hear her long-time friend so sad, so desperate and so vulnerable, guilt and sympathy began to bubble deep inside her belly, mainly guilt. The guilt was for the fact that there wasn't a time where she wouldn't complain to him about arguing with her mother on the phone every time she called, and the sympathy was the fact of seeing Hercules so miserable and in emotional pain. Keeping her eyes trained on him, a look of sympathy formed on the young woman's face, reaching over and gently grabbing hold of his big hand with her small one, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles in comfort.

"I-I'm so sorry, Herc." Meg whispered. "Sometimes, I-I just keep forgetting that-"

"Don't apologize, Meg, it isn't your fault." Hercules said, interrupting her. "I….sometimes I forget….that I'm not the only here that's going through their own….personal issues."

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, neither of them knowing what to say next to one another, with Meg still desperately holding onto Hercules' hand with her own, not wanting to let go as if she was afraid that she would lose him again, and she could not let that happen, she needed him just much as he needed her. After a few moments had passed, Meg was the first to break the silence.

"Herc, you know that you're my best friend….and you know that I'm here for you." The young woman said softly, as she slipped her other than around his muscular arm, blushing at the fact that her best friend was so muscular, compared to him being so scrawny back when they were younger.

"I know and I do, but just thinking about how my family basically abandoned me…..it just hurts Meg….i-it hurts a lot.." Hercules said sadly, continuing to keep his gaze on the wall in front of him.

"I know it hurts…..but…you still have me, and I'm not going to leave you ever again."

Hearing this, the young man slowly took his eyes of the wall to face his best friend, his blue eyes staring right into her violet ones, trusting every single word that had slipped out of her mouth, he knew deep down that she meant what she said, and he knew that he could trust her, after all, he did need her, they both needed each other.

A soft smile spread across his face, but deep down, the young woman could tell that he was trying to cover up his hurt and pain behind that smile, one could easily think that just by looking at that smile that he was perfectly fine, but to Meg, since she knew him for such a long time, she was able to see the pain that he was hiding.

Upon seeing this, the young woman threw her hands around him, gathering him in comforting hug, her arms wrapped around his neck while he slowly slid his arms around her waist, careful not squeeze her too tight since he could easily snap a child in half with his strong arms. The two held on to one another, with Hercules burying his face in the nape of Meg's neck, his hot breath on her skin was comforting, yet the feel of his hot breath slightly tickled her skin, but Meg just pushed that aside, as she sworn that his tears were now accompanying his hot breath on her skin, but he only let a few tears escape from his eyes, choking back the sob that was wedged deep inside his throat.

Meg's was response was to hold him tighter, whispering soothing words in his ears to comfort him, letting him know that she's always here for him whenever he needs her, promising to always be by his side no matter what. After a few moments, the two gently unwound their arms from around each other, Hercules' hands still resting on either sides of her hips gently, keeping his head down in shame, embarrassed at the sight of his best friend seeing him so weak and vulnerable, but the young woman did nothing but gently cup his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her, stroking his salty tears away from his face with her thumb as she hesitantly rested her forehead against his.

"It's okay Herc." Meg whispered. "I promise that everything will be okay."

"You don't know that, though." The young man whispered back helplessly.

"I promise that we'll both try our hardest to help each other, you just have to trust me on this."

A deep sigh escaped from Hercules' mouth. "I trust you."

Silence filled the air between the two, with Meg's hand still resting on the young man's face, as his hands slowly made his way up towards her wrists, rubbing his fingers on her soft skin but suddenly, something caught his attention, a confused look appeared on his face as he repeatedly ran his fingers over wrists, feeling that something wasn't right. From what his fingers felt on her skin, the surface felt smooth but somehow, it felt like the skin on the tops of her wrist were sinking, as if they felt deeper, but then a sudden thought came to his head, it felt like his fingers were coming in contact with….scars or cuts?

Confused, the young man gently peeled Meg's hands from his face, as he carefully tried to inspect what was on her wrist, only to have the young woman quickly rip her hands out of his grasp, roughly pulled the sleeve of her top to cover her scars, the heat was beginning to rush to her cheeks as she turned away from him, completely aware of his curious glaze roaming over her.

"Meg, what happened to your wrists?" Hercules asked curiously.

"U-um….I-I….I was….in the pool a few nights ago….and I accidently skid my wrists on the sides of the walls while I was swimming." The young woman lied, the words slipping out of her mouth so easily and quick.

Hercules did not look the least convinced of what had just slipped out of Meg's mouth, he still had his suspicions and he was definitely not going to let this one go so easily, grimacing at those odd choices of words.

"How could you have skid your wrists on the walls of the swimming pool? Last time I checked, I thought the walls were tiled." Hercules said, trying to piece the words together.

Nerves and guilt began to bubble inside of her belly. Yes, Meg did feel terrible that she had to lie to her best friend about this, but she could not gather up the courage to tell him that she had been cutting herself, she just couldn't. As much as he was the only person she could trust, this was something that Meg had to do for herself. To Meg, cutting was her stress reliever. As odd and demented as it sounds, it was able to calm her down. Cutting was a way for her to pour all of her hurt and pain out. It was either cutting, or taking the other route and going crazy with drugs and alcohol to relieve her stress and pain. As her mind lingered off into space, it was then when Hercules gently called out her name again, instantly snapping her back to reality.

"Meg..?"

"Yes."

"Did you not hear my question?"

"N-no….." The young woman stammered, as once again, the lie flew right out of her mouth. Before Hercules could get another word in, it was then when a young woman with beautiful dark skin and raven black hair, had interrupted him as she stood sheepishly in the doorway.

"Sorry….am I interrupting?" The young woman asked sheepishly. Instantly, Meg snapped her head up, immediately realizing exactly who that voice belonged to.

"Oh hey Esmeralda, and no you're not interrupting." Meg said quickly to her friend, relieved that Esmeralda had come just in time, as she did not want to continue this conversation with Hercules any longer.

"Good, umm, I just wanted to let you guys know that dinner is going to start in one minute. Did you want Mulan and me to save some seats for you and your friend?" Esmeralda asked, nodding towards Hercules when she mentioned friend. As hesitant as she was, Meg nodded, smiling warmly at her friend.

"Yeah sure, actually, we were just heading to the cafeteria right now." Meg said quickly as she jumped up from the couch, grabbing Hercules hand as he also lifted himself up from the couch, who was still somewhat confused with Meg's reaction and her quick response to accept the invitation so quickly, but he decided to let it go.

"Actually Meg, that's okay, you can sit with your friends alone." Hercules interjected. "I kind of just want to eat alone for now."

Confused and somewhat hurt by her friend's answer, the young woman nodded in sympathy.

"Oh…um…okay Herc." Meg replied, trying to hide her disappointment. "I guess I'll….see you around later."

Without saying another word, Hercules simply made his way out of the rest room and headed straight towards the cafeteria, not once looking behind his back or giving a slight wave or a subtle nod. The young woman did nothing but keep her confused gaze glued to his back, shocked and slightly hurt by his sudden reaction, with Esmeralda who also had a confused expression on her face, as awkward silence filled the air between the two, but Esmeralda was the first to break it.

"Is your friend alright?" She asked gently, seeing how slightly hurt her friend was.

"I don't know…." Meg replied sadly. "He's just….having a bad day I guess…."

"If you want, you can go sit with him." Esmeralda offered kindly, understanding that her friend probably needed Meg more than anything, but the young woman just shook her head.

"That's okay, I'll sit with you guys. He probably just…..needs his space right now." Meg said quietly, trying to shake it off of her shoulder as she walked towards the doorway where Esmeralda was currently standing and with that, the two women walked towards the cafeteria where they spotted Mulan already present at their usual isolated table, waiting for the both of them patiently, the two of them arrived just in time as everyone else was already about to claim their meals.

* * *

In the blink of an eye, dinner had ended rather quickly and the pointy hand on the clock had already hit 7:35pm, with the rest of the patients going about their business, whether they were just relaxing, resting or engaging in their own personal activities. The three women made their way out of the cafeteria, not sure of what to do but Esmeralda was the first to suggest they just sit and relax in the quiet rest room, which was located down the hall and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate. Surprisingly, Meg was the first to take her up on her offer, with Mulan agreeing to it as well.

As the three women were now currently in the rest room sipping on their warm drinks, with Esmeralda and Mulan conversing quietly with one another, it was then when the young woman's thoughts suddenly became preoccupied with thinking about what happened earlier with Hercules, wondering why he just left without saying at least a word to her, or without giving her at least a subtle nod or wave, as she completely tuned out her friends.

Part of her couldn't help but begin to feel guilty, guilty for always running to him to complain about her body, or to rant about how much she despised the fact that her parents shipped her off to this place and how she would never forgive them. Whereas Hercules on the other hand, mentioned that he had never received at least one phone call from his parents or his family members. Meg would admit that she did feel a smidge selfish and automatically she regretted it, but Hercules was right, she should be thankful that her parents at least make an effort to reach out to her, but for some reason, she just couldn't bring herself to do that.

But that was beside the point. Right now, it pained her to think of how vulnerable and hurt Hercules was feeling at the moment. Maybe she should have sat with him at dinner, but he did say that he wanted to be alone, but did he really mean what he said? Come to think of it, did he really mean what he said when he had told her that it wasn't her fault that she was always complaining to him about her anger and her bitterness towards her parents and most importantly, herself?

A sad sigh had escaped from the young woman's mouth, feeling a rush of regret forming inside of her, feeling her heart begin to ache, as the thoughts of seeing Hercules so hurt filled inside her thoughts.

"Meg?" A voice had called her name quietly as it broke her thoughts. Shaking her head and snapping reality, it was then when Meg realized that it was Mulan that had said her name, which surprised her somewhat.

"Are you okay?" Esmeralda asked gently. Meg was quick to answer.

"Y-ya….I'm fine. Sorry I zoned out like that." She said rather quickly.

"Was something bothering you?" Mulan asked quietly, but the young woman could tell that she was being sympathetic.

Sighing deeply, Meg shook her head. "No, everything's fine."

Both Mulan and Esmeralda exchanged worried glances with one another, but then they focused their attention back to the young woman sitting next to them, watching her as her expressionless gaze stared down into the sweet brown liquid in front of her, her reflection staring back at her through the rippling hot drink. Deep down, the two women knew that something was wrong with their friend, and right now, they were debating whether or not they should keep trying until she finally gave in to confess her problems, or if they should just leave the whole thing alone.

"Is this about your friend?" Esmeralda accidently blurted out, immediately regretting what she had just done. Upon hearing this, Meg instantly snapped her head up, furrowing her brow in confusion as she eyed Esmeralda carefully.

"Why would you think this had to do with him?" Meg asked curiously, sounding somewhat suspicious.

"I'm sorry Meg, I didn't mean to ask that." Esmeralda apologized. "But, I just thought that maybe, it had something to do with him, since he kind of just walked out on your earlier today."

Hearing this, the young woman did nothing but grimace, feeling somewhat angered at the fact that Esmeralda would just randomly bring up Hercules out of the blue like that. On the good side, Mulan was able to instantly shut her mouth, feeling as if maybe this might be get out of hand.

"I told you already, he's just having a bad day." The young woman scolded. "And besides, this has nothing to do with him. What happens between us _stays _between us."

Immediately, awkward silence filled the air between the three women, as Meg went back to sipping on her hot chocolate, with Esmeralda instantly shutting her mouth, as both her and Mulan were shocked at Meg's sudden hostility towards the both of them. As much as they completely understood that this was not their business, all they were trying to do was help.

"Sorry if I offended you in any way…" Esmeralda mumbled as she sipped on her warm drink, but the young woman just rolled her eyes and shook her head, not bothering to say another word, as she was already annoyed.

Silence filled the air around the three of them, none of them saying a word to each other, as they all just awkwardly sipped on their drinks. It wasn't long until Esmeralda decided that she was tired, but in reality, she just wanted to be alone for the time being, feeling somewhat hurt and offended by Meg's sudden hostility towards her. Lifting herself up from the couch, it was then when Mulan suddenly began to notice as she looked at Esmeralda curiously.

"Where are you going?" She asked quietly.

"I'm feeling tired, I'm going to get some rest." Esmeralda mumbled quietly. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." Deep down, Mulan could tell that she wasn't really tired. She could automatically feel her anxiousness.

"O-okay….." Mulan replied, feeling somewhat disappointed that Esmeralda was leaving. With that, Esmeralda quickly headed out of the rest room, not even bothering to say another word to Meg, as she vanished around the corner in a blur, leaving only Meg and Mulan sitting together, the both of them still continued to keep quiet. It wasn't long until Mulan quietly broke the awkward silence between the two.

"You know….I don't think Esme meant to o-offend you." Mulan said quietly, with a hint of sympathy to her tone as well, but of course, the young woman did nothing but roll her eyes bitterly.

"What, are you suddenly defending her now?" The young woman snapped, which slightly startled Mulan, looking the bitter Grecian beauty over carefully.

"She…..s-she was just….trying to help….I-I mean, we all are, Meg." The young woman spoke softly, feeling somewhat nervous and frightened from Meg's unexpected outburst. Out of the blue, the young woman snapped her head to look right into Mulan's worried gaze, glaring at her.

"I'm sorry, is that everyone's classic line now? That all of a sudden everyone has to tell each other their own personal business? What? Have the both of you suddenly become full time therapists?" The bitter young woman spat, slightly raising her voice.

It was then that Meg had realized that she had gone way too far, with the two women staring awkwardly at one another, with Meg glaring and Mulan looking nothing but frightened with a hint of sadness to her expression, silence filling the air between the two. No longer wanting to be trapped in this bubble full of negativity and hostility, Mulan tore her gaze away from the young woman, as she lifted herself up off the couch and was about to make her way towards the doors.

Realizing that she had crossed the line and the fact that she had been so very harsh towards her friends, a deep heavy sigh had seeped passed her lips, as guilt formed inside of her. Shutting her eyes tightly, she gathered up the courage to open her mouth to speak.

"Mulan, wait….." Meg said called desperately, her tone was much softer and apologetic. Stopping in her tracks, Mulan kept still, her back was still turned towards the young woman sitting behind her.

"I-I'm sorry…..I'm sorry for snapping at you like that." The young woman apologized. "It wasn't right for me to do that, and I know you didn't deserve any of that."

Mulan kept still, did not move an inch, as she let the young woman's words seep into her, trying to make out whether or not she was actually sorry for her reaction, or if she was just saying that so she wouldn't be lonely. It wasn't long until another sigh came out of Meg's mouth.

"Please don't go Mulan, I'm sorry, really I am. I guess I should apologize to Esmeralda tomorrow morning when I see her too." Meg said sadly, her tone almost sounding pleading and desperate.

Once Mulan was able to tell that Meg was not at all pretending, she slowly turned back to face her, her expression was firm, but it was also forgiving as she hesitantly made her way back towards the couch, with Meg sheepishly sliding down a bit further to make some room for her friend as Mulan shifted her weight onto the cushiony surface, a small smile appeared on her face.

"It's okay….y-you were probably just having….a bad day." Mulan said quietly, with the young woman tilting her mouth into a soft smile.

"Yeah, I was." Meg confessed. "I just…..I got into an argument with my mom on the phone earlier."

"You did?" Mulan asked curiously. "H-how come?"

The brunette just shook her head, trying to erase the memory from her mind, not wanting to talk about it.

"It's a long story….don't worry about it."

"If it makes you feel any better…..I-I've only spoke to my mother on the phone once, and then….t-that was it…" Mulan confessed sadly, as the young woman stared at her friend in sympathy.

"Your parents never bothered to call after that?"

Mulan sadly shook her head. "N-no….they didn't…sometimes I feel…that they're ashamed of me….I feel like I've….let them down…"

Hearing all of this sounded so familiar to the young woman, remembering every single word that had come out of Mulan's mouth, were exactly the words that she had heard from Hercules earlier, it was like déjà vu all over again. As silence arose between them, Meg could have sworn that she saw a few tears roll down Mulan's cheeks, nothing but guilt and sympathy was all she was feeling right now, pushing aside all of the negativity and hostility. Forget that, right now, her friend needed someone to talk to, which is if she was willing to open up, she was all ears.

The young woman sheepishly reached her hand over and gently grasped her hand with Mulan's warm, fragile ones, as she traced her thumb over her knuckles, trying to comfort her. It wasn't long until Meg decided to break the silence.

"Don't say that, Mulan, you shouldn't feel as though you've let them down in any way…..I mean, it's not our fault that to _them_, we're considered…_'crazy''_" Meg explained gently, as Mulan sheepishly looked up at her with tears filling in her eyes, as she sniffled.

"Meg, trust me…..y-you don't know….my parents…..I-I know for a fact that they hate me…..t-they hate me….all of them do…." Mulan replied sadly, with Meg awkwardly decided to pull her in for a small hug, as she also tried not to let the tears fall from her eyes. She would admit, hearing every one of Mulan's words right now was painful, but deep down, Meg could automatically feel some sort of connection with her, almost as if the two were going through the same thing with both of their families, but of course she knew there was definitely more behind the story, which would eventually be brought up later, now was not a good time.

Pulling away from the hug, the young woman stared at her friend with worried and hurtful eyes, feeling nothing but compassion and sympathy for her.

"If it makes you feel any better, sometimes I think my parents feel….the exact same way about me too….I mean after all…..they did send me here…" Meg said sadly.

"You do too?" Mulan asked through her tears, as Meg nodded. "I-I guess….we do have something in….common after all…."

The young woman tilted her mouth into a soft smile, reaching over the couch to retrieve a Kleenex both from the end table, handing the box to Mulan as the young woman wiped away her tears from her face.

"We're both still adjusting, and we're supposed to be helping each other get better." Meg said softly, as Mulan nodded.

"Yeah….you're right." Mulan said. "But if you don't mind…..I-I'm going to head to bed now….I'm feeling tired…"

"Okay…." The young woman said, feeling somewhat sad and disappointed that Mulan was now leaving, as she was beginning to feel a connection between the both of them, but right now, she needed her sleep, and Meg was not going to be selfish about it. As Mulan slowly began to rise from the couch, it suddenly caught Meg off guard when she felt Mulan's arms suddenly envelope her in comforting hug, as the young woman did nothing but hug her friend back.

"T-thanks Meg….for everything." Mulan whispered sheepishly as she pulled away from the hug, a soft smile was spread on her face as she headed towards the doorway, waving goodbye as she completely vanished around the corner, abandoning her hot chocolate, which was now probably cold by now.

A sigh escaped from Meg's mouth, as she was now the only one left in the rest room alone. As much as she was a loner back in Greece, right now, she didn't want to be alone, and she deeply regretted snapping at Esmeralda earlier. Maybe if she hadn't have made her feel so bad, she wouldn't have 'pretended' to dash up to her room so quickly, but then again, this was all so new to Meg. Aside from Hercules, she was not used to having other people care about her or actually want to help her, but Meg knew that she had to at least give Esmeralda full credit for being the first one to approach her and try to make things better, after all, they were supposed to be helping each other.

Scanning the room, it was then when her violet eyes landed right on the clock, the big hand was pointed to the 8, meaning it was only 8:00pm, which meant that she had an hour of activities left, but Meg did not want to go to bed too early, if she had, she would probably just end up staring at the blank ceiling above her until lights were supposed to out. Sighing in defeat, Meg lifted herself up off the couch and decided to look for Hercules, thinking that he would probably want some company as well, but there was something she had to do first, something she always did.

Keeping her head down as she walked down the hallway, scanning the halls in search of a washroom of some sort, her eye finally landed on a nearby washroom that was located right at the end of the hallway, carefully making sure that no one was in sight as she quickly rushed towards the washroom and closed the door shut, locking it so no one could get in. The washroom was much smaller and tighter than hers back at home, which could nearly suffocate someone if this thing was congested. Sucking in a deep breath, Meg slowly knelt down towards the toilet, closing her eyes shut tight as she stuck her fingers down her throat and immediately, the large chunks were brought back up, as the young woman vomited and retched so violently that all that was left that slipped out of her mouth was nothing but little bits of blood, her throat beginning to grow sore as she finally decided to flush the toilet and rested her bod against the cold ground underneath her.

This was all Adonis' fault. If it wasn't for him, Meg would not be so self-conscious with her body or how the way she looked, and right now, the young woman would do anything to prevent herself from gaining or being called fat, but deep down, all she knew was that she could not tell Hercules about this, the fact that she's forcing herself to throw up and most importantly, the fact that she just recently began cutting herself. Picking herself up off the ground, Meg slowly unlocked the door, poking her head out to make sure no one was in sight, as she quickly slipped out and began walking.

Making her way down the hallway, stopping every five minutes when she were to catch a glimpse of the other patients clumped together, it was then when she reached the television room closest to the cafeteria, where she immediately spotted Hercules sitting all by his lonesome in the rest room, his blue eyes were trained on the bright flashing images that reflected off his face in front of him, not eve realizing that Meg had just entered and sheepishly took a seat down right next to him. As she patiently waited for at least some sort of an acknowledgment from her long-time friend but failed, she decided to be the one to speak first.

"Hey." Meg said softly, but still, nothing, not even a single movement or a subtle flinch as Hercules continuously kept his eyes trained on the television in front of him.

"What are you watching?" She asked again. It took a while until the young woman finally decided to answer.

"Two and a Half Men." The young man mumbled, not taking his eyes off the screen. The young woman did nothing but keep silent for a few minutes, as she stared her friend over carefully.

"That's nice." Meg finally responded after at least five minutes had passed, not taking her eyes off of Hercules. Silence filled the air between them, and all that could be heard were the sounds of the voices coming from the station that flooded the room. Finally, Meg broke the silence once again.

"I thought you could….use some company or something." Still, nothing. Confused, the young woman furrowed her brow, but she was not angry or frustrated with how the way Hercules was acting. Instead, she looked rather worried.

"Herc, why don't you come up to third floor with me, just to check it out." Meg offered, hoping that he would at least acknowledge her now.

"I'm fine down here." Hercules mumbled, the words flew right out of his mouth so quickly.

"Please Herc, come on…..we never got a chance to spend time together today."

"I want to stay down here." Hercules said more clearly, his tone was stern and firm, but he was also beginning to grow annoyed.

"Are you sure? I mean we could go work out for a few-"

"I said I'm fine down here!" The young man snapped rather harshly, his voice was slightly raised, which nearly startled the young woman as she began to look somewhat hurt by his answer and his reaction, but then again, who was she to blame? She did the exact same thing to her other friends earlier. Blinking twice, Meg slowly lifted herself up from the couch, not taking her eyes off of her best friend.

"O-okay Herc…" Meg whispered sadly as she made her way towards the entrance, stopping in her tracks as she took one last glance over her shoulder towards Hercules, who still had his eyes trained on the television, as Meg tore her gaze away from him and instantly made her way up the two flights of stairs, until she had finally made it to the third floor.

* * *

Once Meg had finally made it to third floor, it was then when she noticed the gym that was right in front of her, and currently, no one was in there at the moment. Next to her, she spotted the pool which was right next door which was currently being occupied by another patient. From what Meg could make out through the glass window, she was able to find that the patient had bright red hair, whom she has seen before, but never got the chance to actually get to know her, let alone find out what her name was or who she was. But that was beside the point at the moment. Next she noticed was the little art room, which was right next to the pool, which was also being occupied at the moment.

In that little room, Meg witnessed not only one but two other patients in the room as well. Tiptoeing her way towards the art room, she noticed that one patient had incredibly long golden hair, hair that came down to her butt, watching curiously as she teenage girl painted gracefully with ever stroke, with different colours blending in together with one another. And then there was a young woman about one year older than she was, with long brown silky hair that reached her bra line, sketching so animatedly, both of the patients were so caught up in their artwork that neither of them realized that they were curiously being watched at the moment.

Curiously, the young woman poked her head slightly further, curious to get a better look at what the brunette young woman was sketching. From what Meg could make out, it looked like the young woman was sketching a young man? A young man that looked so unfamiliar to her, but even in the sketching, he looked exotic looking. As Meg slowly poked her head out of the art room, it was then when she finally came face to face with the music room.

Feeling nothing but comfort form inside of her, Meg took this as opportunity to make her way towards the room, twisting the silver knob as she slipped inside the small music room. The walls were a soft shade of blue that one would find comforting and relaxing to look at, the room was fairly small but it was just the right amount of space to fit at least five or six people in all at once. Almost the entire room consisted of a variety of musical instruments, including a piano, a saxophone, two flutes, two violins, the cello, a French horn, three trumpets, two pairs of bongos, the tambourine and finally, an acoustic guitar.

Meg did nothing but stare at the place in awe, especially the instruments. Once her eyes finally landed on the acoustic guitar, a soft smile began to make its way on her face as she sheepishly made her way over to the object, which was kept standing up gracefully in a small corner, her violet eyes scanning over the instrument in awe as if it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her life. Even though Meg was currently locked up in a mental hospital, along with the fact that she was also suffering from Bulimia, one thing that the young woman loved more than anything in the whole world, was music.

Music was the one thing that Meg kept a secret hidden from everyone, including her closest friend, Hercules, but the only people that knew was of course her parents. Over the years, no one knew how secretly talented and creative the young woman was with her music. Ever since she was three years of age, she always enjoyed walking down the streets of Greece with her mother and listening to the variety of music that one or a couple people would play in the streets to earn some extra cash, and that's when Meg eventually found herself falling completely in love with music. Eventually, she fell in love with every instrument from the Pan Flute, all the way down to the Bouzouki along with the piano, singing and most importantly, the guitar, Meg loved it all.

Growing up, music was the only thing that kept the young woman growing, where she was able to release all of her stress and sadness and pain, pouring it all out into her music. However, the ironic thing was that Meg would never play for anyone, not even her parents. When her mother tried her hardest to get her daughter to perform, the young woman immediately refused, but as of now, she regretted it.

During her teenage years, she was considering to open up out of her shell and share her love for music with every single person, but of course, that all changed when her dreams shattered, beaten to a pulp by none other than Adonis. Since Adonis treated her the way he did, the young woman became nothing but self-conscious, on the outside and the inside. Whenever Meg would confess to Adonis that she had hopes and dreams of becoming a musician someday, he did nothing but laugh, right in her face, telling her that she had absolutely no chance of making it big with her current appearance, and that eventually shattered the young woman's dreams.

Ever since her relationship with Adonis and having to be exposed to his constant verbal and physical abuse, it was then when she decided to give up on everything, including her love for music, gone, ever since that horrible comment Adonis had made, Meg had never touched or set sight on a single musical instrument ever again. It killed her inside to think about how successful and healthy she could have been if she stuck to her dreams and did was right for her, but no, she just had to listen to Adonis and let his cruel words consume her. Perhaps, picking up the guitar for the first time in how many years would get her to maybe lighten up a bit, release all of her negative attention and hostility towards anyone she didn't know, maybe this might be the first step to her recovery, but that was the last thing she wanted to think of right now.

Reaching out her hand towards the instrument, Meg carefully picked up the guitar, slinging the string attached over her shoulder as she took a seat on the chair standing behind her, shifting her weight onto the chair, her fingers were shaky somewhat but soon, her fingers were able to strum a few chords, as the soft sound of the strings being strummed together all at once was calming to her ears, smiling softly as she strummed again.

Soon, Meg was pretty much strumming the chords to some tunes that she became familiar with, one of them was a song she had been recently listening to constantly since she's been here, a song that was so touching, the lyrics described every single thing she was feeling inside, hurting deeply, the song would make her cry, but at the same time, it made her feel better on the inside. It was then, when the young woman finally found the chords and the rhythm to that same tune that she enjoyed, _'Who You Are' _by Jessie J.

Closing her eyes and letting the sound of the guitar calm her ears, opening her mouth to sing along with the chords.

_I stare at my reflection in the mirror_

_Why am I doing this to myself?_

_Losing my mind on a tiny error_

_I nearly left the real me on the shelf_

_No, no, no, no, no_

Meg sang out softly, her voice was not loud, but rather soft and angelic like with a tiny rasp in the back of her throat every time she were to hit the high notes. She didn't stop, she kept singing.

_Don't lose it all, in the blur of the stars_

_Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing_

_It's okay not to be okay_

_Sometimes it's hard, to follow your heart_

_Tears don't mean you're losing_

_Everybody's bruising_

_Just be true to who you are_

It was then Meg was beginning to reach the ending of the song, her voice was still soft and she slowly opened up her eyes, as she finally sang out the last bars of the song.

_Who you are_

_Who you are_

_Who you are_

Sighing deeply, it was then that Meg began to realize that she was feeling somewhat better, emotionally, as if a big weight has been lifted off her shoulders. With her singing while strumming the guitar, she basically poured her heart out into these lyrics, almost as if everything around her had completely vanished, disappeared, as if she was in her own little word doing nothing but singing and playing her instrument, doing the one thing that she loved and enjoyed, completely unaware of what was going on around her.

It was then when the young woman heard a strange sound, a sound that was coming from out in the hall. Confused, the young woman curiously scanned out the hallway through the tiny glass window on the door, which was slightly open just a bit. Squinting her eyes to get a better look, it was then when Meg caught a flash of bright red from outside the door, but immediately, Meg was able to figure what, more like _who _was behind the door, making those shuffling noises.

"You're welcome to come in, if you'd like." The young woman said gently. Instantly, the person revealed herself, slowly poking her head from behind the door, her bright red hair was dripping wet, her cheeks were a deep shade of pink.

"You don't have to be afraid; I'm not going to hurt you." Meg said softly to the teenage girl, as she hesitantly slipped inside the room, keeping her head down as she stared down at her feet, her wet red hair was shielding her face so that when she made eye contact, she could only see Meg through the screen of her hair.

"Do you like to sing?" Meg asked curiously. The teenage girl nodded, keeping her eyes on her bare feet, nervously twiddling her fingers together.

"What's your name?" The young woman asked again, but the teenage girl nervously continued twiddling her fingers, her body was beginning to shake as her heart began to race inside of her chest. Without thinking, she just blurted out quickly:

"Ariel." She said quietly, placing a hand over her mouth.

"Cool, I'm Meg." The young woman said, introducing herself. Silence filled the air between the two, as Meg awkwardly stared at Ariel, feeling nothing but sympathy after just watching how shaken up she was. Seeing Ariel so nervous and scared, instantly reminded her of Mulan, knowing that whatever was going on the between the two with their own lives, they were both surely damaged on the inside.

"You don't have to be afraid of me, it's okay." Meg said comfortingly to the teenage girl, but Ariel just simply shook her head, shutting her eyes tightly as tears rolled down her cheeks, her hand still remained on her mouth. As Meg witnessed this, she slowly set the guitar down as she lifted herself up off the chair, staring at the girl with nothing but a worried and sorrowful expression.

"Are you okay?" Meg asked sadly, but Ariel just shook her head and quickly backed away from her, banging into the door behind her.

"I-I….I…I…..h-have…..t-t-to g-go!" Ariel stammered heavily as she turned and quickly dashed off down the hallway, with Meg staring after her sadly, instantly feeling sorry for the young girl, a deep sigh escaped from her mouth.

After a few minutes had passed, it was now 8:57pm, meaning that lights had to be out in three minutes. With the young woman immediately deciding that she was tired, Meg quickly made her way down the hall to her room, slipping inside as the rest of the patients scattered their way to their own bedrooms, shutting their lights off.

* * *

It was 10:18pm, everyone else had fallen into their own peaceful rests, while Meg on the other hand, lay still in her bed, staring at nothing but the now dark ceiling above her. Even when she decided to head to bed three minutes early, no matter how hard she tried to force herself to at least fall asleep, she failed, and now she was currently losing ten hours of sleep.

Maybe it was because her mind was so caught up with the events that happened earlier, her hostility towards Esmeralda, her good friend who has been doing nothing but trying to help her, her conversation with Mulan that she had earlier, her re-discovering her love for music, but most importantly, everything that happened with Hercules earlier and of course, that poor Ariel chick that she had met in the music room, what was wrong with her and why she was so scared to talk to her, but mainly, her mind became preoccupied with Hercules.

She couldn't it off her mind with the way how Hercules had reacted when she asked him to spend some time with her, or how the way he just basically ditched her at dinner time. Maybe he felt as though that _she _was ditching him for her friends, while he ate alone in his isolated corner, looking lonely and depressed. At dinner, when she made eye contact with him, she would send him a soft smile in his direction, hoping he would at least flash a smile or at least wave back in hers, but instead, he gave her the cold shoulder, his eyes were full of hatred and pain, simply glaring at her as he went back to eating his food, which nearly tore her insides apart, trying not to let the tears escape from her eyes.

Did he hate her all of sudden? Was he mad at her for always complaining to him about her problems and not take the time to listen to his problems? After all, he did say he was diagnosed with Bipolar so that could be the reason for his sudden mood swings and his change in attitude towards her. But did he have to act so harsh towards her when she wanted to spend some time with him? These entire questions flooded through Meg's mind as she sighed in frustration, throwing off the covers and making her way towards the door, twisting the cold silver knob open as she slipped outside quietly in the hall, deciding that she needed to go for a little walk down the hall to calm herself down.

A few minutes had passed and Meg must've walked down the hall at least twice or three times, her mind was still all over the place, instantly beginning to give her a headache as she whimpered softly, clutching her head between her hands. As she was just about half way down the hall about to head back to her room, it was then Meg heard a sound, a sound that sounded as if someone was whispering something.

"Hey baby." A low husky voice whispered in Meg's direction.

Stopping dead in her tracks as her body began to tense up, Meg slowly turned her head, hoping to catch a glimpse of a shadowy figure behind her, but was shocked to find that nothing, or no one was there. Instantly, the young woman thought she was losing her mind, as if she was just hearing things, as she scoffed turning her head back in the direction that she originally going and began to make her way down the hall.

"Where are you going baby?" That same smug voice whispered again, but this time, his voice was slightly raised.

But this time, Meg didn't stop, she kept walking, her pace was beginning to quicken as her pulse began to race, her beating faster and faster inside of her chest, but she didn't dare look back. Pretty soon, she heard the sound of heavy footfalls making their way in the same direction she was headed, following a few feet behind her. Meg's pace subtly quickened, and the heavy footfalls were equally beginning to match her pace with each step she took, clenching her knuckles tight to her sides.

Suddenly out of nowhere, she couldn't tell if it was her imagination or not, when Meg felt a strong hand grab hold of her arm, while the other hand snaked its way around her waist, pulling her closer towards the figure, with Meg struggling, trying her hardest to free herself from this mysterious grasp, which obviously belonged to man. Her first instinct was to think that it was Hercules pulling some sort of prank on her, but she knew it definitely was not him, for Hercules' grip was far gentler than this grip that she was trapped in right now.

"Let go of me." Meg demanded sternly, her whimpers and cries were wedged deep inside her throat, but she wanted to keep it that way.

It was then when the young woman felt herself being pulled back closer, her back against this mysterious man's chest tightly, his hand holding her arm back tight behind her, causing her to let out a short whimper as he forced his other hand down her pants, causing her to let out strangled gasp in fear and terror, his hot breath against her skin, as he chuckled devilishly in her ear.

"Fiesty little piece of meat, aren't you?" The man said smugly, forcing his lips against her neck, as he licked and bit her skin, while Meg was groaning and grunting in fear, trying to elbow him in the ribs, but failed miserably. The young woman didn't give up, she continued to fight against him, and she was definitely not going to let him win this.

"Hold still you bitch!" The man demanded through gritted teeth as he forced his hands deeper down her pants, feeling as his fingers began to make their way to the tip of her underwear.

Snapping her eyes open as she gasped, it was then when Meg decided to do what she had to do, even if meant waking up the other patients.

"GET OFF ME!" She screamed as she kicked her leg back, aiming right for his groin which she did successfully, as he howled in pain, loosening his grip from around her as he dropped to his knees in pain.

"You will pay for this you bitch!"

As she was now free, Meg quickly dashed her way down the hallway, slipping inside her room and slamming the door shut, as her breathing became heavy, sliding her body down on the ground as she covered her face in her hands, trying her hardest to catch her breath and to calm herself down. Meg did her hardest to hold back the tears that threatened to escape from her eyes, no, she was not weak, and she would not let herself be weak.

Thinking to herself that this must have been this so called rapist that was hunting and preying on the helpless female patients, God only knows how many of them he has raped or sexually assaulted, which is exactly what had just happened to her right now, minus the rape part. Right now, Meg could feel nothing but fear and embarrassment, traumatized for life. As much as she wanted to report this, she couldn't, she was already thrown into a mental hospital because her parents think she's crazy and that last thing wanted was for the doctors to look at her and think she was even crazier than usual.

Right now, Meg was too scared to be alone, for the thought of that man sneaking into her room and doing God knows what to her frightened her even more. She didn't want to be alone, she needed someone, and she knew exactly just the right person to go to.

As she waited at least a good twenty minutes to pass by, the young woman hesitantly, twisted the silver knob once again, her hand was shaking but she ignored it. Meg slowly poked her head out in the hallway to make sure the coast was completely clear, despite the darkness. Once she felt it was safe, the young woman slowly slipped outside in the hallway, closing the door shut quietly as she hurriedly tiptoed down the hall, making her way to the stairs through the darkness, grasping the railing for support as she climbed down carefully, not wanting to trip or fall and have to end up with a broken nose or a bloody lip.

Once Meg had reached the first floor in a matter of seconds, she quickly made her way down the hallway, heading right for men's hall, crossing her arms over her chest, her bare feet padding against the cold marble floor, everything was nearly pitch black, but not fully, carefully and slowly walking down the carpeted floor in the hallway, searching curiously for that same familiar number that he mentioned to her from a while back.

Finally once she caught of seeing the big number "9", Meg quietly knocked on the door, careful not to awaken anyone or cause a ruckus. She wasn't sure if he would be awake or fast asleep, but that didn't stop her from knocking lightly on the door once again for the second and last time. Sighing in defeat as she was just about to give up and head back upstairs, it was then when she heard the sound of a _click_, signalling that the lock to the door was being released, as the door slowly opened, revealing nothing but that same familiar face, who was wearing nothing but a pair of gray sweat pants and remained shirtless. Seeing his face, a soft, yet sheepish smile made its way on Meg's face.

"Sorry I woke you." She said quietly.

"What's wrong?" Hercules asked, concerned filling in his tone. Meg stared at him for a few seconds; as her eyes sheepishly trailing down to his muscular chest, as blushed excessively, shaking her head to snap back to reality.

"Can I….sleep with you in your room tonight?" Meg quietly blurted sheepishly without even thinking.

Upon hearing this, immediately Hercules' eyes shot wide open, eyeing his friend down carefully, as his cheeks turned bright pink, worried at just exactly what she was getting at.

"Meg….I….I-I don't think that's a good idea.." Hercules stammered nervously.

"I don't mean in the way you think, Herc, I just…I need you right now…." The young woman whispered.

Hercules was able to calm down and relax as he let out a subtle sigh in relief.

"Did something happen?"

Meg shook her head quickly, trying to push out the images of what had just happened to earlier.

"I just…need someone to be with right now…." Meg said quietly, looking helplessly into his blue eyes. "I-I…..I don't want to be alone."

Instantly, Hercules knew something was up with how the way his best friend was acting, staring her down carefully as a rush of sympathy formed inside of him, knowing deep down that his friend needed him more than ever, and God knows that he needs her also, just as badly as she does with him. Sighing in sympathy, the young man opened the door slightly wider to let her in.

"Come in." He said softly as the young woman cracked a small smile and quietly made her way inside his room, with Hercules closing the door shut quietly behind them and locking the door.

Once they were both fully inside, Meg sheepishly adjusted her weight onto the bed, turning on her side so that her back was facing Hercules, as he joined her on the bed, shifting his weight closer towards her, as he sheepishly and hesitantly draped his arm around her waist, which did surprise her somewhat, but she wasn't complaining, feeling a rush of comfort as she smiled to herself, snuggling closer towards him, feeling his face buried in the nape of her neck, as Meg sighed happily.

"Herc?"

"Mmm?"

"Thank you." She whispered.

"Anytime."

And with that, the two fell into a peaceful sleep with one another.

* * *

**I apologize for my late updates my lovely readers! School has gotten in the way and for the past few weeks, I have been bombarded with so much work, and on top of that, I have been involved in a lot of extracurricular activities so that also took up most of my time as well. Anyways, I want to thank all of you so much for voting and of course, reviewing! You guys are the best and you don't know how much you guys mean to me. Without you guys, I probably would've been sinking right now, lol! But anyways, keep the awesome reviews and the votes coming! Thanks so much you guys! Next chapter features Rapunzel!**

**Now, onto the reviews for the latest chapter!**

**Supersmashkingdomhearts1999: **Haha aww thank you so much girly! Yeah I decided that it was time for Mulan to start opening somewhat and I agree! They are such a cute couple! Thank you so much darling! Oh and don't you worry, the subplot will grow within the chapters, there will be plenty more of that!

**Roninarnia: **Thank you so much for your reviews! They really mean a lot, and don't worry, Mulan will get better down the road, just wait and see :)! Hope to hear from you again soon!

**Ms. Emily Vega: **Ahh thank you so much girly! I will just for you!

**Wolf's Willow: **Thank you so much for your encouraging reviews! They really mean a lot to me! Oh and that part will be revealed later on throughout the story! Lol I don't want to give out too much information because I don't want to spoil it for you, hehe! But I hope to hear from you again soon!

**YeahIwentthere69: **Aww thank you so much for your kind reviews! They really mean a lot and I'm so glad that you're enjoying my story! Thank you so much! I hope to hear from you again soon!

**Thanks so much for the reviews guys! Keep them coming! And don't forget to vote!**


	12. Rapunzel: May 21st

**Chapter 12: Rapunzel, May 21****st**

_Beep….Beep….Beep_

_It was the middle of the afternoon, around 3:15pm. Activities have recently ended about an hour ago and once again, it was time for everyone else's annual check-up and treatment they received from professional doctors, who came from various hospitals and would always take time off their schedules to come by Briar Ridge to help out the nurse's and therapists with how to treat and cure their patients. While everyone else was receiving their check-ups, one individual in particular was currently being held in custody, which happened to be located right in the emergency room._

_Sixteen year old Rapunzel's eyelids fluttered as she slowly opened her big green eyes, trying to adjust her vision to the bright fluorescent lights that shown above her, but yet she was somewhat confused as to where she was right now, seeing as these bright lights did not look like they came from the usual office of Nurse Colette. Once her eyes were finally able to adjust to this overly brutal brightness, it was then when the teenage girl was able to recognize exactly where she currently was at the moment._

_As Rapunzel scanned her eyes around the room, slightly shaken as she tried to keep herself calm, trying to avoid increasing her soft rapid breathing that would most likely increase the beeping from the IV monitor, the teenage girl realized that she was located in none other than a hospital room, feeling the little railings on the bed around her, the feeling of the lumpy pillows that her head was currently resting against at the moment._

_Although this place was oddly familiar to Rapunzel, she couldn't quite put her finger on how she ended up in here, or why she was here in the first place. Deep down, the teenage girl knew that she had been in here numerous times for the same thing, but for some reason, she still could not put a finger on it as to what had happened to her earlier, feeling as though she had temporarily lost her memory of some sort._

_Quickly raising herself up in a sitting position on the bed, as if on cue, it was then when Nurse Colette, along with Nurse Helen, Nurse Fiona and doctor Robert (Bob is what the nurses and doctors call him for short), all carefully made their way inside the hospital room where the teenage girl was located, as Rapunzel whipped her head around in their direction, her heartbeat was increasing as well as the monitor on the IV. Before Rapunzel could get a word, or in this case a scream out of her, the nurse's quickly beat her to it as they hurriedly approached her, surrounding around her bed, which was beginning to make the teenage girl feel somewhat nervous and uncomfortable._

"_Rapunzel, Mon Cher, everything is going to be okay." Nurse Colette said gently, as Rapunzel continued to stare wide eyed at her nurse._

"_H-how…..h-how did I get here?" The teenage girl asked, her voice sounding hoarse and feeling somewhat sore and painful._

"_Sweetheart, you had another panic attack earlier today during activity time." Nurse Helen explained calmly, her voice was soft but her tone was slightly firm._

_Upon hearing this, fear and anxiety began to form and bubble right inside Rapunzel's belly, as her hands clutched to the rails on her bed tightly, shifting her body as if she was somehow looking for a way to escape, as her eyes darted from nurse to nurse, to doctor and then back to nurse again, feeling anxiety bubbling up inside of her as she was beginning to feel frightened and uncomfortable with everyone around her, especially since they were all wearing bright white coats._

"_I…..I….how?" Rapunzel asked. "W-what happened?"_

"_Sweetie, you don't remember what happened?" Nurse Fiona asked, sounding concerned._

_The teenage girl slowly shook her head, her big green eyes darting from one nurse to the next as she patiently waited for some sort of answer, while the nurses on the other hand all exchanged worried gazes with another. It was then when Doctor Robert sighed heavily and slowly approached Rapunzel's bed without startling her. Once satisfied that she had remained still in her bed, he slowly crouched down so that he was eye to eye with the teenage girl as he stared helplessly into her big green eyes. He hesitated at first, but then finally gathered up the courage to open his mouth and speak._

"_Rapunzel." Robert began gently. "You had a very serious panic attack earlier today. It was to the point where you had a mild seizure….and then you collapsed."_

"_I-I…..I had a….seizure?"_

_Doctor Robert slowly nodded in response._

"_H-how? I've never in my life….have had…a seizure." Rapunzel said sadly. "Was I passed out….for long?"_

_Robert stiffened at the sound of girl's question; as did the rest of the nurses stiffen as well, all of them exchanging nervous glances with one another. Finally, Nurse Colette gathered up the courage to look her patient over carefully, as she finally let the words fall out._

"_You were…..passed out for two days, love." She said gently._

_Upon hearing this, Rapunzel's green eyes began to slightly widen in fear and terror as her lips began quivering, her hands beginning to shake and tremble as did her whole body. Pretty soon, her heart rate was increasing, the beeping of the IV monitor instantly beginning to speed up as this caused the nurses to quickly gather around the teenage girl. Rapunzel was beginning to breathe heavily, in and out, her vision was beginning to blur as her anxiety was just about beginning to rise. Sheen of sweat began to trickle its way down her cheeks and soon, her whole face was covered in sweat._

"_W-what's happening to me?" The teenage girl asked desperately, her words beginning to slur._

"_Rapunzel, sweetheart, we need you to stay with us." Nurse Helen urged gently._

"_I-I…I….am I g-going to….d-die?" Rapunzel cried as tears began to form inside of her eyes and spill down her cheeks._

"_Sweetie, you're about to pass out again and right now, we need you to stay with us." Nurse Fiona encouraged._

"_I-I….I can't!" The teenage girl whimpered as she felt her body beginning to grow limp as she the impact of her weightless body was slowly beginning to fall forward, while the nurses did everything they could to keep her awake._

_Pretty soon, her body started shaking violently, uncontrollably, her eyeballs rolling backwards as she was in the process of being in another seizure, but this time, it wasn't mild. It was serious._

"_Rapunzel! Honey, you have to stay with us!" The teenage girl could hear Doctor Robert's voice calling out to her desperately, the sound of his voice beginning to blur out. But still, her body was twitching and shaking and trembling._

_The teenage girl wanted so desperately to cry out for help, but all that came out of her mouth was saliva that was choked up in the back of her throat and was now trickling down the side of her mouth. Rapunzel didn't understand was what happening to her, or how this was happening to her for that matter. To her even though she wasn't in the right frame of mind at the moment, she felt as though she was dying, as if something was trying so hard to suck her soul from out of her body. Since it was no use, Robert encouraged Colette to call for back up, which she wasted no time in doing._

_In the blink of an eye, in came a variety of different nurses in bright white coats and blue jump suits as they all gathered around the suffering teenage girl, who was still in the process of having a major seizure. The doctors and the nurses were doing everything they could to help break Rapunzel out of this dangerous cycle, but it was no use._

"_Doctor, it's hopeless." One doctor said to Robert. "We're going to have to put her to sleep."_

_Upon hearing this, Doctor Robert immediately tensed up as did the rest of the nurses, with Nurse Helen and Nurse Colette shaking their heads desperately._

"_Are you crazy? We can't put her to sleep!" Nurse Helen spat angrily._

"_We're supposed to be helping her, not putting the poor thing on her own deathbed!" Nurse Colette hissed._

"_Look at her!" another doctor pointed towards the helpless girl, as her whole body was continuously shaking, twitching and trembling violently. Rapunzel wasn't sure if she was going crazy or not, but she could have sworn she heard something that she didn't want to._

"_N-no….n-no!" She managed to stutter desperately. "P-Please!"_

"_Look, she's trying to communicate with us! We can't put her on her deathbed!" Nurse Colette argued helplessly._

"_Colette, Helen." Robert began gently. "I don't think we have much of a choice."_

"_Robert, are you crazy? Don't do this, please don't do this to her!" Nurse Helen begged._

_Unfortunately, Robert wasted no time in giving the doctor the nod as he grabbed hold of a sharp object, while the other doctors held Nurse Colette and Helen back as they fought against them. Pretty soon, the seizure was somewhat beginning to wear off, but not completely. Rapunzel thrashed as her body shook and twitched violently, her eyeballs trying to find their way back to earth. Once they did, all that her green eyes managed to witness was a dozen of different and unfamiliar faces all huddling around her. And much to her horror, it was then when she was able to see a doctor approach her with a very sharp object._

_Although she was still in the process of her seizure, that didn't stop the teenage girl from trying to scream, while the doctors all held her down roughly._

"_N-N-NO!" She managed to scream. "P-PLEASE! N-N-NO!"_

"_Say goodnight forever, little girl." One doctor said devilishly as he brought the sharp needle closer and closer towards her until….._

Sixteen year old Rapunzel let out a high pitched scream as she thrashed about in her bed and immediately fell first off the bed and onto the carpeted floor with a loud thud, but that didn't stop her from screaming and crying out.

While her screams echoed throughout the entire hospital, the sounds of footsteps rushing their way up the stairs and racing down the hall towards her room and in the blink of an eye, in came a frantic Nurse Colette as she gasped in horror and quickly knelt down to envelope the teenage girl in a comforting hug, with Rapunzel desperately clutching on the middle-aged woman, her crying was slowly beginning to calm down.

"Shhh, it's okay Mon Cher." Nurse Colette whispered soothingly, as she stroked her soft golden hair. "It's okay, you're safe now, love."

Instantly, Rapunzel felt a rush of comfort as she tried her best to take slow and steady breaths. Popping open her big green eyes, she slowly turned her head to stare up at Nurse Colette, her eyes were pleading but they were still filled with tears. The middle-aged woman sighed in remorse as she gently used her thumbs to wipe away Rapunzel's tears.

"Did you have another bad dream, love?" She asked softly.

The teenage girl nodded as her lips quivered, lowering her head in embarrassment and shame. Truth be told, she did have a bad dream, but for some odd reason, this dream seemed to frighten her a lot more than her usual dreams she used to have about monsters and demons coming to eat her when she was kid. Maybe it was because to her, this dream felt real and vivid, as if she was reliving it.

"Y-yes ma'am…." She said quietly. "I-I did…..and it…frightened me…."

"There's nothing wrong with being frightened darling." Nurse Colette said in a soothing tone. "Why don't we go get you something to eat real quickly?"

After taking in the woman's words, fear washed over the young girl as her eyes began to widen, shaking her head nervously and quickly as her palms began to sweat.

"N-no! I-I'm not hungry!" Rapunzel begged desperately, trying to get out of leaving her room.

"Rapunzel, you haven't eaten anything all day, love." Nurse Colette explained slowly. "You need to eat."

"B-but what if I….h-have another panic attack again?"

"Love, right now that's not important. The important thing is that you get food inside your belly."

"B-but-"

"No 'buts' love." The middle-aged woman said softly. "You need to get something to eat. I don't want you passing out from lack of food."

Upon hearing this, tears began to form in Rapunzel's eyes, as the salty liquid slithered down her cheeks, grasping her hands tighter around Nurse Colette, practically having to beg the woman not to force her to do this.

"I-I…..n-no! I-I don't want to eat!" She cried.

"Love, you haven't eaten in two days! You need to eat, Mon Cher." The woman explained gently, as the young girl shaking and trembling slightly. Slowly, the middle-aged woman gently helped Rapunzel off from the ground, while the teenage girl still had her arms wrapped tightly around Nurse Colette's waist.

It's alright love, I won't let anything happen to you." She said soothingly. "Now, let's quickly grab you something to eat, okay?"

Rapunzel just ignored her as she continued crying softly, her tear stained face was now buried into Nurse Colette's white jacket, as the woman gently guided her out of her room and made their way down the hall towards the staircase.

* * *

Thankfully for Rapunzel's sake, lunch was still in session, but there was only fifteen minutes left, which still gave her some time to eat a nice home-cooked meal, that is if she was willing to eat for that matter. After having to literally be dragged down to the cafeteria, the teenage girl stubbornly co-operated and took her usual seat with her three close friends Ariel, Belle and Jasmine. While the three other girls around her were currently finishing up and inhaling their food, of course Rapunzel only managed to take a couple bites while she remained poking and staring down at her now cold food in front of her. To Rapunzel, she'd rather be up in the art room where she loved being, drawing and painting gorgeous and breathtaking artwork. But unfortunately for her instead, she was forced to spend her last fifteen minutes in a somewhat crowded cafeteria with a bunch of other patients that she did not know, besides her friends.

It had only been twenty days since Rapunzel was sent to Briar Ridge Hospital by her family and still even though twenty days seemed to be a while to some patients, unfortunately the young girl still had not adjusted to being so far away from home, locked in a place which was so unfamiliar to her. Although she had built a strong friendship with her three friends, Rapunzel would admit, that she absolutely hated it here.

To her, it felt like being trapped in prison. Rapunzel was more of a curious and adventurous person and being in a place like Briar Ridge, definitely did not allow her to do such a thing. She hated having to be checked up on every ten minutes, she hated having to be forced to eat when she refused to and she absolutely hated having to be strapped down on a gurney and be rushed to the emergency room, which practically happened almost every day, and because of that, was the reason why she was sent here by her family, which immediately brought those horrible thoughts back to mind, which she so desperately wanted to forget.

As much as Germany was her home and the only place she knew so well, it pained her to think that the only place where she felt safe and secure, had frightened her most, where she experienced the most devastating and traumatic events that she would never forget that put her in this place.

Back when Rapunzel was a little girl of age six years, her parents had divorced and went their separate ways. After a horrible marriage to her father, her mother could not take living with this man any longer. From what the young girl could see in her father at such a young age, he was very harsh and mean and bitter, and not to mention, he was an alcoholic and he was verbally and physically abusive. There were times if Rapunzel accidently disobeyed her father, that without thinking, she would receive numerous slaps across her face, which did leave bruises and welts all over her cheeks, but her mother got it worse than she did. Her mother would end up with a black eye or a cracked rib if she were to push her father too far about certain things, things that Rapunzel was too young to understand. Usually, you would think that a six year old would be the happiest person on the planet without a care in the world and not having such a pure and playful mind, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case for Rapunzel at all. At age six, it was heartbreaking and traumatic for her having to witness the horrible fights and nasty arguments that her parents would get into every now and then.

Rapunzel would never forget that one night while she was sound asleep in her room with her stuffed toy lizard clutched tightly in her arms, where she woke up to the sound of screaming and yelling echoing loudly throughout her small home. Of course it wasn't a surprise to her that the yelling was coming from her parents' bedroom with the door closed shut. Being the curious girl she was, she quietly slipped out of her bed, her bare feet padding against the hardwood as it creaked underneath her feet with each tip-toe she took, trying her hardest to keep quiet so her parents wouldn't know she was awake.

Once she succeeded in getting passed her door and slipping out into the hallway, which each step she took, the screaming and the yelling was getting louder and louder by the minute, which made her heart beat even faster inside of her chest as she clutched her lizard closer to her, whispering for the thing to protect her, but not only her, to protect her parents. Quietly, she gently pressed her little ear onto the cold wooden door, as she heard nothing but her father's loud booming voice roaring from the other side, while the sound of hearing her mother crying made her little heart shatter inside of her chest.

But suddenly, she heard a sound. Not just any sound, a sound that so was loud and so abrupt that it nearly felt like an earthquake was taking over as it literally almost made the teenage girl fall to her feet. Jumping back from the door and gasping, her racing inside of her chest, her eyes widening in terror, it was then when the little girl heard a sound from the other side of the room that frightened her so very much. She decided that she could not take any more of having to listen from the other side and just what was going on inside of her parents' room. Dropping lizard to the ground, Rapunzel wasted no time in immediately bursting open the door and much to her horror, having to witness the most traumatic experience she ever had.

Much to her terror with her mouth hanging open in shock, her eyes widening in terror they filled up with angry and fearful tears, was the fact that she was witnessing her father throwing her mother to the ground, sitting on top of her as he beat her. With every slap across the face her mother received, with every kick in the ribs, Rapunzel did nothing but flinch, as seeing this not only hurt her mother physically, but it was enough to tear the little girl apart emotionally.

Without even thinking, Rapunzel screamed on the top of her lungs, yelling for her father to get off of her mother as she did nothing but charge towards him, jumped on his back and with all her might and that her little strength could carry her, she tried her hardest to pull this monster off of her mother, clawing and pulling at his hair tightly, as her mother screamed at the sight of seeing her helpless little daughter trying to pull this man off of her.

Before Rapunzel knew, a pair of hands immediately grabbed her from her little waist, realizing that these hands belonged to none other than her father, as he ripped her from behind him and immediately shoved her to the ground as he pinned her hard to the ground, with his weight supporting him. Right then and there, he raised his hand slapped her, hard. With each hit to her back, Rapunzel cried out, begging for him to get off of her. With each hit to her legs, which were eventually bruised, she screamed as did her mother. Much to her surprise, she felt as his weight was instantly ripped off of her, realizing that it was her mother who yanked him off of her which such force and so much adrenaline pumping through her veins that she threw him out of the room, along with gathering his clothes from his closest and whipped them in his face, yelling and screaming at him to get out and to never step foot back into this house ever again.

Sooner or later, a few days had passed and Rapunzel's father had left, which resulted in both her parents settling for a divorce, with Rapunzel's mother receiving full custody of her. From that day on, her mother raised her and protected her with all her might. But since they were running low on money, her mother had to get a full-time in order to make enough money to keep food on the table and roof over her child's head for her safety. But while she worked, Rapunzel would usually spend time being looked after by her grandmother for the time being.

About three years after the divorce of her parents, it was then when the teenage girl would find herself having constant and severe panic and anxiety attacks randomly throughout the day, and at night. Yes, she did have nightmares where she would wake up screaming in the middle of the night, but her consistent panic attacks would take over and consume her. At first, the attacks were mild, only lasting about one to five minutes. However, her mother and grandmother began to worry and fret when Rapunzel's panic attacks worked its way up and lasted for more than thirty minutes, which eventually turned into hours. There was one time where the attacks were so severe, that the teenage girl literally passed out on the ground and was immediately rushed to the hospital, where she had to stay overnight. With having to endure so many panic attacks, this later resulted into leading her to a very serious mental illness.

That time she spent in the hospital, was when her mother and her grandmother received tragic news from the doctor that their little girl was suffering from Panic/Anxiety Disorder. At first, her mother could not put her finger on why her daughter was suddenly acting like this, but soon it hit her, hard in the gut. Ever since that time when Rapunzel was six year old and barged into her room, was exactly the reason why she was having so many panic and anxiety attacks. The thought of having to relieve that frightened her and now, her baby girl would be traumatized for the rest of her life.

The doctor had advised her to send her daughter to get some professional help, but Rapunzel's mother refused. The thought of having to send her little girl off to a different place frightened her. At first, her mother and her grandmother advised the doctor that they would do whatever it takes to get their loved one sane again. They tried absolutely everything, and nothing ever worked. They tried taking her to the cottage, which was Rapunzel's favourite place to go when she was little kid, but the thought of her father came back to haunt her. The lake would no longer be the same to her. Seeing the bright blue water and staring at her reflection as her face rippled in the water, was enough to bring back that memory of her father, remembering that time where she almost drowned in a pool and her father was not paying attention to her that time. And right then there, the poor girl had another panic attack.

Seven years had passed. Not knowing what else to do, it was then when her grandmother had decided that maybe it was time they send their little girl to get help, no matter how painful it was. As much as it pained her mother to admit this, now was the time that she would send her daughter to get the help she needed and she deserved. Of course when her mother and her grandmother sat her down and confessed that she would be going away for a while to get professional help, Rapunzel immediately began panicking, crying and begging desperately for her mother not to send her away where she screamed, grabbing onto her mother's arms as she cried. What scared her the most was the fact that being away from the two people she knew most and being sent off to a place that was so unfamiliar to her frightened her, and right then and there, she collapsed onto the ground, her anxiety was getting to her as it took over her completely, with her mother and her grandmother immediately rushing to her aid.

May 1st came and this was the day that the teenage girl was shipped off to Briar Ridge Mental Hospital and has been here ever since. Although the nurses were warm and friendly and were willing to help her, the thought of being rushed to the emergency room frightened her as they had to try their hardest to calm her down while they performed tests on her. Ever since she's been here, Rapunzel has had to end up in the emergency room almost every day from her constant panic and anxiety attacks.

Thankfully, she had her three closest friends, Jasmine, Ariel and Belle to help keep her in check. So as of now, sixteen year old Rapunzel was forced to adapt to her new temporary life being stuck in this hospital for quite some time.

Soon, there was only ten minutes left of lunch and Rapunzel still hadn't touch the remaining parts of her food, as she continued to poke her fork through her corn and her turkey, while it stared back up at her. Of course, Jasmine noticed and immediately put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder, which nearly startled her as she slightly jumped, feeling her heart race inside of her chest. But she calmed down when she realized that it was only Jasmine.

"Rapunzel, you still haven't finished eating your food, and we only have ten minutes left." Jasmine said comfortingly.

"I'm not hungry." Rapunzel muttered stubbornly.

"But you have to eat! You haven't eaten in two days!"

"S-she' right Rapunzel." Ariel stuttered.

"Yeah I-I mean…..we're a-all worried a-about you." Belle said soothingly as she reached her hand over to grasp Rapunzel's hand with hers.

"But I don't want to eat!" Rapunzel argued. "I'm not hungry so just…..leave it alone."

The three girls shared worried glances with one another, but soon their gazes quickly returned back to their friend as they all eyed her down worriedly.

"Rapunzel…..what's wrong?" Jasmine asked softly.

"Nothing…I-I…." Rapunzel began. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Y-you know you can talk to u-us whenever y-you need us, right?" Belle offered.

"Yeah but I just…..I-I just can't talk about it guys." Rapunzel confessed. "I-I…..need to throw this out."

Quickly, Rapunzel picked up her tray of food and slowly began to make her way towards the garbage can when all of a sudden; she was caught off guard when she immediately walked smack right into another person. At first, the impact of running into another person immediately made the anxiety rise up within in her, as it pumped quickly through her veins as heat rushed to her cheeks.

"Hey! Why don't you watch where you're going!" The person spat harshly towards her.

The teenage girl immediately looked up, her green eyes landing on the person standing in front of her. At first, she was ready to give this person back a piece of her mind as she thought this was probably another moody female patient, but surprisingly she was caught off guard. As she expected to come in contact with a female patient, she was surprised to find that this patient was no female at all, but a young man. To her, this young man was incredibly good-looking, his soft brown locks fell over his face and his toned-physique was to die for.

Of course, it was no doubt that Rapunzel was automatically attracted to him already, with her mouth hanging open, but no sound was coming out. But what was making he nervous was the fact that this young man looked anything but friendly. Instead, the look on his face said it all, his harsh and piercing glare boring into her soft gaze, as she fumbled with the words to speak.

"Spit it out, blondie!" The man spat. "Don't you have something to say to me?"

Immediately, Rapunzel was taken aback by this man's attitude and harshness towards her, that it shocked her, as she blinked twice. Sweat was beginning to sheen on her forehead as her heart began racing inside of her chest, her hands were trembling and shaking as well as her legs. The teenage girl opened her mouth to speak, but still, no words were able to come out of her mouth, which made the man roll his eyes and scoff in disgust and annoyance.

"Look kid, I don't have all day!" He said harshly. "Can you just say you're sorry already so I can get out of here?"

Before Rapunzel had time to think, she tried to speak. "I-I…umm….I-I…..

"You're pathetic." The man spat harshly as he threw out his tray of food and immediately shoved past the stunned teenage girl.

Not being able to move from her spot, Rapunzel quickly turned to stare at the young man that had just pushed past her, as her eyes never once left his back, with her mouth still hanging open in shock. Blinking twice, the teenage girl tried her hardest to fight back the tears as they spilled down her cheeks one by one. Of course, she couldn't figure out why that man was harsh and mean towards her. All she did was accidently bump into him and already, he seemed to hate her. But soon, her anxiety was enough slow down as it subsided, which was soon replaced by sadness and humiliation.

Throwing out her food, Rapunzel quickly made her way over to her friends, as she kept her head down in humiliation, with her blonde golden hair falling down over her face.

"Sweetie, you okay?" Jasmine asked, but Rapunzel shook her head as she tried to brush it off.

"I-I'm fine….." She muttered, as she sniffled.

"Are you sure?"

Rapunzel nodded slowly, her hair still covering her face. "Y-yeah….I'm fine."

Pretty soon, the bell rang, signalling that lunch was already over and that activities were about to take place. All of the patients quickly scattered out of the cafeteria, while Rapunzel slowly made her way out with her friends right behind her, eagerly awaiting what activity time had to offer.

* * *

Activity time was starting and the nurses had decided to pair each of the patients together in order to help the process of beginning the first step towards their recovery. There was a list that was posted on the wall with each of the patients that were required to be partnered together for the beginning of this process.

While the patients all crowded around the list to see who their partners were, the teenage girl tried her hardest to stick behind, as she reached on her tip-toes, trying her hardest to make out the sight of her name from a far distance and who she was paired with. Part of her was worried about who her partner was, but part of her was actually kind of eager to meet this new person.

Once everyone else had finished with the list and the space was clear, Rapunzel quickly walked over to the list, searching for her name. It never occurred to her that there were so many patients here in this place. As she searched for her name, the list read:

_Tiana, Jane and Naveen_

_Jasmine and Aladdin_

_Ariel and Eric_

_Belle and Adam_

_Mulan and Shang_

_Megara and Hercules_

_Esmeralda and Phoebus_

_Pocahontas and John Smith_

_Peter, Alice and Wendy_

_Rapunzel and Flynn_

_Cinderella and Charming_

_Aurora and Phillip_

_Snow White and Ferdiland_

_Kida and Milo_

_Merida and Jim_

Once Rapunzel finally spotted her name and her new partner, she couldn't help but feel curious, curious as to who this Flynn person was or what he was. As she thought earlier, she was somewhat eager to find out who Flynn and sort of get to know him more as a person, but part of her was nervous and worried what Flynn would think of her. As much as she hated the idea of having to paired up with a complete stranger, this may give her the opportunity to open up to someone other than her nurse and her friends about the problems she's been having ever since she stepped foot into this place.

Seeing as everyone else was already partnered up except for her, Rapunzel scanned the room for her partner but for some reason, he was nowhere to be found, which did confuse her and make her worry somewhat. Taking one last final search with no luck finding Flynn, it was then when Nurse Colette noticed that her patient looked somewhat lost as she made her way over to Rapunzel.

"Mon Cher, you do not know where your partner is?" She asked softly, as Rapunzel sheepishly shook her head.

Before Nurse Colette got another word in, it was then when Nurse Helen had called her over, who also had another person standing behind her with is his head hanging down. Confused, Nurse Colette guided Rapunzel over to where Nurse Helen was standing.

"Colette, I found Flynn." Nurse Helen said as she motioned towards the young man who was sitting behind her, with his head held down.

"Fantastic!" Nurse Colette said happily. "Rapunzel, meet your new partner, Flynn."

As soon as Flynn lifted his head up, the teenage girl's heart started beating rapidly inside of her chest as she instantly recognized that familiar face. Flynn's was exactly the same person who she bumped into in the cafeteria earlier, the same person that was so harsh towards her, and the same person who called her 'pathetic'. As soon as her fearful green eyes met his cold ones, the look that was written all over his face not only scared her, but it tore her apart, feeling as if her insides have just been ripped out of her. The look he gave her was so very cold and harsh, as he glared right at her and kept his cold eyes on hers.

The teenage girl immediately put her head down in shame and humiliation, as the heat rushed to her cheeks deeply, her blood was raising and heart rate was increasing at the very moment. Sweat was beginning to appear on her forehead again as it did earlier. Rapunzel couldn't help but worry if being paired up with this young man was going to trigger her disorder even more. Even though she's been here for twenty days, today was the very first time she was seeing this man. Although he was extremely good-looking and Rapunzel automatically felt a physical/sexual/emotional attraction towards him, just the thought of seeing him frightened her, let alone having to be paired up with him, which terrified her.

Right then and there, the teenage girl was just about ready to open her mouth and protest that she no longer wanted to paired up with him, but instead, she took this as an opportunity to remain strong, and to be the bigger person. Flynn didn't really seem to care much, since he just wanted to get this whole activity thing over and done with.

"Alright, well I guess Nurse Colette and I will leave you two alone." Nurse Helen said warmly as she and Nurse Colette made their way down the hall, leaving the two remaining patients behind.

With her eyes glued helplessly to the two nurses' backs, Rapunzel sucked in huge breath as she slowly turned around to face Flynn, her new partner. Sheepishly putting on a small, but nervous smile, she slowly lowered her body and sat down next to Flynn careful to give him some space so the two weren't so close. Of course, the young man didn't say a word, as he continued to keep his harsh glare down on her nervous frame. The two sat in awkward silence, but the teenage girl used this as an opportunity to introduce herself.

"H-hello." She said quietly, but of course, the young man just ignored her as he scoffed in disgust.

"I-I'm….Rapunzel." The teenage girl introduced herself. "Y-you must be Flynn."

"Well obviously I am." Flynn said in a harsh tone. "It says on the list there, doesn't it?"

Once again, Rapunzel was taken aback by his harsh attitude and hostility towards her, which was beginning to worry her somewhat, but that didn't stop her from at least trying her hardest to open up to him. Awkward silence filled the air between the two yet again. Sucking in a deep breath, the teenage girl opened her mouth to speak, as she slowly hesitated, but finally let it out.

"A-about what happened….in the cafeteria e-earlier…" She began. "I-I'm sorry…..I-I didn't mean to bump into you."

"Well next time you should watch where you're going!" He spat again. "If you were really, you wouldn't have done such a stupid thing in the first place!"

"L-look…I-I said I was sorry-"

"It doesn't matter!" Flynn said angrily. "You should still watch where you're going!"

The teenage girl did nothing but stare at the young man in complete awe and shock. Why was he being so mean and harsh towards her? Even though she was attracted to him, the man was a complete jerk. Hearing his harsh words was already beginning to make her feel self-conscious and insecure with herself, as she sheepishly reached behind her head and pulled her golden hair around her face, twiddling her in her fingers. Usually, Rapunzel would never take this crap from anyone, especially not from a man. But since her attraction for him was completely taking over, she decided to suck it up and continue trying, even if it would hurt her in the end.

"H-how about we just….move past this and…s-start over?" She offered gently. "Why were you sent here?"

Flynn did nothing but scoff in disgust as he crossed his arms over his chest, completely ignoring her question. The teenage girl waited for some sort of response, but once she got nothing, she took this as an opportunity to begin slowly opening up to him about her background and past.

"I-if it makes you feel any better…..I was sent here….because….I suffer from…Panic/Anxiety Disorder." She confessed as she exhaled slowly.

"It's funny, I don't remember asking you why you were sent here, or perhaps about your background either." Flynn responded in a boring tone.

Upon hearing this, this automatically was beginning to bring tears to the teenage girl's eyes, as they filled up with tears and threatened to escape her eyes. But Rapunzel tried her hardest to fight back the burning tears. Without even thinking, Rapunzel opened her mouth to speak.

"What is wrong with you?" She demanded. "Why are you being so harsh and mean to me? I never did anything to you!"

"Because I can." Flynn spat. "Seriously blondie, you can't expect everyone to be nice to you."

"My name is Rapunzel! And obviously, I know that, but you don't have to be rude and hostile towards me!" Rapunzel argued. "We're supposed to be helping each other."

"I don't care! I didn't ask for your stupid help!" He said in a harsh tone. "I don't care about anyone, and I definitely don't give a damn about you, so why should I care about helping you?"

Never before would the teenage girl let something as harsh as that get to her, but surprisingly, it did. Not knowing what else to say or to argue, Rapunzel immediately tore her gaze away from his, as the tears spilled down her cheeks one by one. She tried her hardest not to break down and sob in front of him. If she let him know how bad he was hurting her, then he would automatically think that he had won, and Rapunzel was definitely not going to give him that satisfaction. But for some reason, she just couldn't bring herself to be the strong and positive girl she tried to be. Instead, she began to cry silently, feeling as her heart rate was dangerously increasing as well as the painful knots in her stomach began to form.

"So that's your solution? To start crying like the little girl you are?" Flynn asked sarcastically, his tone was harsh and his expression was uncaring and cruel.

Not being able to handle this any longer, Rapunzel immediately whipped her head in his direction; her expression was nothing but anger, hurt and humiliation, her angry tear-filled eyes boring into his unsympathetic ones.

"You're such a jerk!" She spat as she shot up from her chair and stomped her way down the hall.

"And you're a pathetic little wimp!" He yelled angrily, as this made his blood boil. "Go! Run and cry to the doctors and the nurses like the stupid little cry baby you are!"

Every one of his words hurt, cut like a sharp knife and seeping with acid as this only made Rapunzel cry even harder as she picked up the speed and ran down the hall and ran straight into the women's washroom, slamming the door shut with such force. Her breathing was beginning to quicken as well as her pulse, as her hands started to shake and tremble violently. Her heart rate was beginning to increase quicker with each breath she took. She could feel the anxiety rising up inside of her, feeling as it was just about to spill over like a pot of boiling water beginning to spill and burn over. The teenage girl tried her hardest to remain calm as she burst into hysterical tears and dropped to her knees as she dug her nails deep inside her scalp, crying and panicking uncontrollably.

Even though she was used to being verbally abused as child by her father, for some reason, it hurt her even more when those same harsh words came from a complete stranger, especially from such a handsome young man that was attracted to physically, but emotionally, she was not. Flynn was harsh, mean, rude and uncaring. He had no sympathy for anyone and he definitely did not care about anyone except for himself. Like he said earlier, he doesn't care about anyone, and he definitely did not care for her one bit. Immediately, Rapunzel was snapped back to reality as she felt a hand on her shoulder that startled her to death as she let out a piercing scream in fright.

"Rapunzel! It's okay!" A familiar voice said from behind her. "It's me, Jasmine."

Hearing her friend's name and her comforting voice, was enough to slowly subside the teenage girl's anxiety, as her heart rate was beginning to drop and she was able to relax her whole body. But the tears still remained in her eyes as she looked up helplessly into Jasmine's sympathetic hazel ones.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Jasmine asked softly as she hugged her friend tighter towards her, letting Rapunzel cry into her shoulder.

"T-this guy…Flynn…was so mean to me….." Rapunzel stuttered helplessly.

"Flynn?" Jasmine said, sounding as if she knew exactly who Rapunzel was talking about, as the teenage girl nodded.

"He's a jerk, sweetie." She said in comforting tone. "But, I shouldn't judge him. From what I've heard, he's here because he's suffering from Narcissistic Personality Disorder."

Upon hearing this, the teenage girl curiously lifted her head up from Jasmine's shoulder, furrowing her brow in confusion.

"N-narcissistic Personality D-disorder?" She asked, as Jasmine nodded.

"That's why he's such a jerk. He only cares about himself, except his condition is much more serious. But that would explain why he treated you so harshly."

'_Narcissistic Personality Disorder'_ she thought to herself. Of course, Jasmine had to be right. That would explain why he was so cold towards her, and why he claimed he didn't care about helping her at all for that matter. It was clear to Rapunzel that this man obviously didn't want to be here anymore than she did. Part of her was considering begging Nurse Colette to allow her to switch partners, but part of her was actually crazy enough to want to get to know him more, that's if he would let her. Maybe he was being so hostile towards because he probably didn't have any friends. Maybe he wasn't used to having friends back where he was from, which could be the reason why he was so cold towards her. Maybe this would give her the opportunity to get him to open to her, to show him that he could trust her.

Shaking her head from those thoughts, the teenage girl immediately thought she was starting to go crazy. This man had just blatantly insulted her with no remorse for his words or actions. Of course she no longer wanted to ever see his face again. But why was part of her refusing to let a nurse know about this?

"Come on." Jasmine offered as she helped the teenage girl off the ground.

As Rapunzel, she suddenly felt as her legs began to wobble, her hands and arms felt numb and her vision was beginning to blur, as she beginning to see nothing but shades of different colours appearing in front of her. From the pinks, to yellows, to oranges, to blues, to reds, every colour mysteriously blurred and blended together.

"Rapunzel? Are you okay?" She heard Jasmine's voice ask her, but to her, Jasmine's voice sounded as if it were echoing throughout the bathroom, hearing as her voice bouncing off the walls, almost as if it were an endless sound and hum to her ears.

Without even realizing, it was then when the teenage girl leas expected this, as her she felt her eyelids drooping over her eyes and in an instant, everything went black, as she collapsed onto the ground.

* * *

Fluttering her eyelids as they slowly began to open to see bright fluorescent lights shining down above her; Rapunzel quickly scanned her green eyes around her surroundings as she instantly recognized exactly where she was.

Again, Rapunzel had ended up in none other than the emergency room. She didn't know how long she was out for but to her, it seemed like she was out for weeks, months, possibly even years. As she tried to sit up, it was then when she felt a sudden pain shooting up her spine and all the way up to the back of her neck and reached her head as she groaned and whimpered in pain and lay back down on the bed.

Staring up at the ceiling, she heard the door open and in came none other than Nurse Colette, with a cup of water in her hand and what looked like pills in the other, as she walked over to Rapunzel's bed.

"How are you feeling, love?" Nurse Colette asked softly as she placed the cup of water on the tray.

"M-my head hurts." Rapunzel whimpered in pain. "Did I collapse again?"

Sadly, Nurse Colette nodded in sympathy. "Yes, I'm afraid you did, love."

"How long was I out for?"

"Right up until bed time." The woman responded.

"I-I…..I was out for that long? Everyone's gone to bed?" Rapunzel asked desperately as Nurse Colette nodded.

"Yes, love. Everyone has gone to bed."

"C-can I go to my bed?" The teenage girl croaked.

"No, Mon Cher" Nurse Colette replied sadly as she sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Since you collapsed again, we're going to have to keep you in here overnight."

Rapunzel let out a deep sigh in disappointment and worry. Of course, this was not the first time she had to be kept in here overnight in case she had her usual panic attacks or if she were to collapse in the middle of the night. As much as she usually spent most of her time being stuck in the emergency room, she hated it and she could definitely not adjust to it.

"Do I have to stay here?" Rapunzel whined, as Nurse Colette chuckled sadly.

"Yes, I'm afraid so, love." She replied. "We just want to do what's best for you, even if you hate having to spend most of your time in here."

A deep sigh escaped from the teenage girl's mouth as she took the cup of water with a weak hand and took a small sip. Soon, Nurse Colette gave her usual pills to take at night as she washed it down with her water. Soon, Rapunzel completely finished the cup of water as she handed the empty cup to her nurse. Nurse Colette bid her goodnight as she turned to leave the room, shutting off the lights as the room was left completely dark, but not pitch black. Usually, Rapunzel would stare at the ceiling until she felt bored and fell asleep but tonight since she took her pills, they were able to kick in and in an instant, she felt herself beginning to fall into a peaceful sleep.

A few hours had passed and it was already 11:30pm. Rapunzel wasn't sure if she was dreaming or not but she could have sworn she heard the door slowly open, but she ignored it and continued to sleep. As she was beginning to fall into a peaceful sleep for once in her lifetime, it was then when she heard soft footsteps as they tip-toed their way over to her bed, the sound of the squeaky shoes were getting closer and closer. Once again as she was thinking she was dreaming, it was then when she was snapped back to reality as she felt a hand grip her arm and begin shaking her.

Confused, the feel of the hand startled her as she jolted awake, opening her mouth to let out a piercing scream but was suddenly interrupted as she felt a hand clamp over her mouth as she squirmed and wriggled, trying her hardest to get out this person's grasp.

"Blondie shut up, it's me." That same low familiar voice said.

As she stopped struggling, Rapunzel instantly recognized as Flynn's silhouette peered down above her, his hand still clamping her mouth as she knitted her eyebrows into a frown, glaring up at him as she yanked his hand away from her mouth.

"Are you trying to give me heart-attack?" She hissed.

"Shh!" Flynn hissed back as he glared at her. The teenage girl stubbornly crossed her arms over her chest as she turned to look away from him, feeling as the tears burned in her eyes once again. Silence filled the air between the two, but Rapunzel was the first to break it.

"What do you want?" She demanded bitterly.

"I….I just wanted to apologize…." He began. "For what happened earlier today."

Upon hearing this, Rapunzel's face softened as she slowly turned back to face him, with his hands buried deep inside his pockets, keeping his head down in humiliation and shame. As much as she wanted to believe he was telling the truth, part of her was beginning to think that something forced him to sneak into her room and literally give her a heart attack, believing that someone probably forced him to apologize straight to her face. The teenage girl took a minute to study the young man standing above her, squinting her eyes in suspicion.

"Do you actually mean it, or did Nurse Helen force you to?" She asked suspiciously.

Flynn shrugged. "Both I guess."

Hearing his response immediately brought Rapunzel all the way back to their session during activity time. The hurt, anger and humiliation was able to edge its way back inside of her as she rolled her eyes, her lips quivering as she angrily turned her head away from him, not wanting to even look at him.

"You really are a jerk, you know?" She muttered angrily under her breath, not wanting to him to hear. But unfortunately for her, he did manage to hear as he clenched his knuckles by his sides as they turned white, gritting his teeth as his face turned red and his blood began to boil.

"And you're a little smart mouth!" He spat angrily. "How dare you say something like that to me!"

Hearing his angry tone made the teenage girl wince slightly, but anger got the best of her as she turned around to face him once again as they both glared at one another. Flynn was about to open his mouth, but Rapunzel beat him to it.

"You sneak into the emergency room practically in the middle of the night, literally give me a heart-attack just because you were forced to apologize to me!" Rapunzel spat. "You are a jerk! You don't even mean what you said!

"So what?" He asked rhetorically. "I risked my ass coming down to apologize to you and you won't even accept my apology!"

"Because you don't mean a word that you said!" The teenage girl argued. "You had to be forced to apologize to me, and no one said that you had to sneak down to the emergency room before midnight to apologize!"

At this point, Flynn's blood was beginning to boil with anger as he leaned down and glared right into Rapunzel's face, their faces were just inches apart.

"Listen, sneaking down here was not an easy thing to do, blondie!" He began.

"My name is Rapunzel!"

"Whatever!" He spat harshly. "Just accept the stupid apology!"

"No! I won't!" Rapunzel spat, which immediately made Flynn's blood, boil even more. "You're a selfish person! You don't care about anyone else but yourself!"

"Don't you dare go there, blondie." Flynn threatened. "I'm warning you."

"You're a jerk!" Rapunzel continued, ignoring his threat. "You're a low-life, self-induced jerk! You only care about yourself! You're a narcissistic-!"

"Stop it!"

"Selfish, self-absorbed cruel idiot!" She screamed.

Right before Rapunzel knew it and the last thing she expected, she automatically felt a sharp sting shooting its way up her cheek, as she felt her head being whipped with such force that she thought it was a dream, but the pain said it all. Putting her hand towards her cheek to nurse the pain, it was then when the teenage girl realized that she had been slapped hard, right across the face by none other than Flynn. As she slowly turned her head to stare up at a furious Flynn standing above her, as he glared down at her with absolutely no shred of remorse in his eyes.

Feeling the tears burning in her eyes, she quickly turned her head away from him, as the pain and humiliation crept inside of her. Gasping in pain, the teenage girl immediately broke down in silent tears, as she sobbed silently, burying her face in her pillow. What startled her was the fact that she felt Flynn leaning over the railing and inching his face right next to her ear, his hot breath on her ear.

"That's what you get for being pretending to act like the stupid little smart-mouth you are." He spat harshly in her ear. "When in reality, you're just as pathetic."

The teenage girl did not respond, as she remained sobbing into her pillow, while nursing her now bruised cheek. She could hear his footsteps making their way towards the door, as the door opened and closed shut. That night was the first time in years that Rapunzel had cried herself to sleep. Flynn slapping her so viciously across her face was enough to bring back the horrible memories of her father, where he would slap her if she were to accidently disobey him, the thought of seeing him beat her mother right in front of her. It was like the abuse was coming back to haunt her all over again.

As much as it pained her to admit this, Rapunzel would not tell anyone about this. She would force herself to forever keep this hidden and locked deep inside of her, which to her was the only way for her to build her up strength and be strong.

* * *

**Wow! It's bee forever since I last updated this story! Again, I am so so so so sorry for keeping you guys waiting. I'm behind on all my stories unfortunately but right now, I'm taking advantage and using my time to get back into updating regularly. Again, I am so sorry the long delay folks! Anyways, I hope no one is too hard on me for this chapter, seeing as it is based off of true event. I mainly based this chapter off my friend and myself for that matter. Yes, unfortunately my parents are separated but my father was never abusive like I made Rapunzel's estranged father. That was based off of my friend's father. However, that scene where Rapunzel witnessed her parents fighting and where her father beat her, the same thing happened to me recently just a few months ago. Seeing as I've been stressed about this whole thing, I just poured all of my emotions into this chapter. I hope you don't hate me how I portrayed Flynn in this chapter either! I figured with Flynn acting like jerk would fit this type of story well, but if I do make another chapter with Rapunzel, I will definitely make Flynn a bit nicer than he is now. So again, I want to thank all my reviewers and my loyal readers for standing by me with this story! You guys are the best! Anyways, next chapter will feature Pocahontas! One more thing, if you guys want to see more individual chapters on minor characters, don't forget to vote on my profile! Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Muah! Love you guys! More to come very soon! Xoxoxoxoxo!**


	13. Pocahontas: May 23rd

**Chapter 13: Pocahontas, May 23****rd**

It was currently the middle of the night at Briar Ridge. Every single patient was sound asleep in their deep slumbers, getting a good night's rest for another productive day that was hours ahead. Not one single thing could awaken anyone from their peaceful sleep, that is, except for one person in particular.

Moaning, shifting and struggling so rapidly in her sleep, it was then when twenty-two year old Pocahontas immediately shot straight up from her bed, her eyes widening in terror as her breathing increased rapidly. Sweat had begun glistening on her forehead as whimpering erupted from inside of her mouth, her heart was beating violently inside of her chest as her whole body was trembling and shaking. Tears pooled inside of her eyes as they slithered down her cheeks, realizing that she had been crying and whimpering all night in her sleep.

As she tried to catch her breath and to calm herself down, silently telling herself that it was only a nightmare, Pocahontas slowly lowered her body back down onto the bed as she slowly tried to close her eyelids shut. It wasn't long until after a few seconds that she quickly shot back up again from her sleeping position and began panting heavily, as more tears slid down her cheeks. Pocahontas curled her knees up to her chest and began rocking her body back and forth, her whole body shaking and trembling so violently.

Unfortunately, every night had been like this for the young woman, ever since she first stepped foot into Briar Ridge. Every time she went to bed, she often found herself waking up in the middle of the night, crying and screaming. Of course, all of this had to do with her tragic past that she would never ever forget.

It had been about a month since Pocahontas had arrived to Briar Ridge Hospital and of course like every other patient, if one thought being trapped in this place for no more than fifteen days was torture, Pocahontas was a good example, who's been here for a month and still to this day, she still has not adjusted to the fact that she is no longer in the place she called home, her sanctuary where she felt safe and secure, which was back in Virginia, back in her little village.

As much as Virginia was the only place in the world where she felt the most protected, being in such a place had not only frightened and devastated her the most, but it was also the most traumatizing place to live in, which is where the young woman had to endure the most horrible and devastating experience in her life.

To Pocahontas, it seemed as if everything had happened so fast, almost like it was just yesterday, almost as if she was seeing her own life flashing before her. Back in Virginia, the young woman came from a decent family. Seeing as she was an only child, she lived in a little village with her mother and her father, who of course loved her very much with all their hearts and would do everything in their power to protect their only daughter. Since she came from a Native American background, her father along with the rest of her family and friends could only afford to live in small villages, which was not a bother to any of them because with that, the families were able to stay closer to one another and protect one another if there was any harm that dared threatened them. As much as the young woman loved both of her parents deeply, Pocahontas had a much closer and deep relationship with her mother. Next to her best friend Nakoma- whom she's known since they were both three years of age and have been best friends ever since- to Pocahontas, her mother was her best and closest friend.

What Pocahontas had with her mother was very special to her and she would forever hold that dear in her heart. Ever since her mother gave birth to her, the minute her mother looked right into her daughter's little brown eyes, immediately they were attached to one another, joined at the hip. Pocahontas would always remember every time when she were to get sick with the flu, her mother would always immediately drop her household chores just to take care of her only child, while her father would take over. As adventurous as Pocahontas was as a little girl, which resulted in her often running to God knows where deep in the forest with Nakoma and no adult supervision, her mother would never scold her like her father did. Instead, she was rather understanding, as she stated that her only daughter reminded her so much of her when she was her age. So to say, Pocahontas had a lot in common with her mother, which was why the two got along so well together.

She would always remember the times when her father were to go out hunting in the woods for fresh meat to bring back home for dinner, her, Nakoma and her mother would either be out in the fresh air with the sun glistening down, picking fresh wild berries from the bushes and having picnics together, or just simply out playing and splashing in the warm lake, with only the sounds of their laughter echoing from the forest could be heard while the three of them were soaking up all of the fun, letting the warm refreshing water seep inside their bodies.

If the young woman-at the time she was six years old- were to have scary dreams and wake up in the middle of the night, her mother was always the one to hold her in her arms and fall back asleep with her. There was one night in particular that Pocahontas would never forget. It was the night where yet again at the age of six, which she got in trouble by her father for running off into the woods with Nakoma, which was way past her bedtime. Of course, Pocahontas never understood why she was often getting in trouble for wanting to explore what the world had to offer. Of course, her mother was the one to come to her rescue once again, even though she was worried to death and told her sternly never to run off like that again. As the memory instantly flashed in her mind, this caused the young woman to remember that night like it was just yesterday, while she lay awake in her mother's arms, her big eyes staring out into the moonlit night, while the warm air seeped its way inside through the crack of their window and blanketed the room.

"Momma?" The little girl asked, her soft little voice was enough to awaken the woman sleeping next to her.

"Yes my little daughter?" The woman asked softly, her voice sounding somewhat groggy.

"Why does Poppa always get mad at me when I run off?" The little girl asked innocently, as this caused a soft chuckle to escape from the older woman's mouth.

"Because sweetie, you're too young to run off by yourself." The older woman explained gently. "Your poppa and I want to keep you safe."

"Safe?" She asked curiously, as she turned her head to look right into her mother's eyes. "Safe from what?"

"Safe from harm, little one."

"Harm? What harm, momma?"

The older woman did nothing but chuckle softly as she looked her daughter right in her eyes, brushing a strand of hair from her little face with her fingers, stroking her soft cheek with the tips of her fingers.

"You ask a lot of questions, little one." The older woman said gently. "You know your poppa loves you very much, don't you?"

Pocahontas nodded, furrowing her brow. "But he always gets mad at me when I run off, or when I do something wrong."

"Because he wants to protect you, sweetie." The older woman explained. "That's what momma's and poppa's do. The only reason why he gets mad is because he is frightened."

"Isn't poppa a little too old to be scared?" Pocahontas scrunched up her face, almost as if she was hearing the most ridiculous thing right now.

The older woman laughed. "You're never too old to be scared. Everyone gets scared, even I get scared sometimes."

"But you're brave. You never act like you're scared of anything, momma, which is why I want to be like you when I get bigger."

The older woman stared right into her child's eyes, tilting her mouth into a soft smile as she leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her daughter's forehead, resting her forehead against hers as she inhaled what little bit of sweet fresh air the seeped in through the crack of the window.

"Will I be like you when I get bigger momma?" The little girl's soft voice asked.

The older woman smiled softly. "I think you will, but I know deep down in my heart that when you grow up into a beautiful young woman, you'll be a lot braver than me."

"But you'll always be brave, momma. You're not scared of anything."

"The world can be a scary place, little one." She whispered. "No matter how brave one can be, there's always that tiny bit of fear that lies deep inside their hearts."

"How come the world is scary, momma?" The little girl whispered, as the older woman sighed deeply.

"I don't know, little one. Unfortunately, that's just how the world is." She explained. "But as long as you have your momma and your poppa with you, you'll be safe forever."

"You promise that nothing will ever happen to you or poppa?" She asked hopefully as her mother smiled down at her, placing another kiss on her small forehead.

"I promise, little one." Her mother said warmly. "But just remember, no matter what happens to me, I'll always be with you."

Pocahontas did nothing but smile up at her mother, trusting every word that her mother had just said, her heart was filled with nothing but love and affection, all of her worries and fears immediately beginning to slowly pour out of her system. Her mother always knew how to chase her fears away, just by being held in her mother's embrace brought nothing but warmth and pure love towards her. Every night when she endured nightmares, those last five words always filled her head with pleasant dreams and they always stuck with her no matter what. After this night and many other nights that passed as the years flew by, just as Pocahontas thought things were perfect and not a single thing could tear her family apart, unfortunately, her thoughts were wrong. A couple years passed and things went downhill, where the young woman was forced to endure the most traumatizing experience of her life.

About two years ago, not only did her father have to part-take in a brutal war against the evil clan of British men, but of course the rest of her family and friends had to as well. After they discovered that their villages had rich gold that was buried deep inside the ground, that's when Britain decided that it was their place to steal the gold so they can make profit of it and eventually become rich. Of course, the Natives were not happy with that, seeing as they were immediately threatened by it. Since the men all gathered together to part-take in the war, it was definitely not the women's place to be around this brutality, which meant that the women had to be shipped off to another land where they would be safe. Only very few of the women were able to gather their innocent children along with the rest of their belongings and ship off where they were able to spot land. Unfortunately, Pocahontas and her mother were not so lucky.

Since the British men had arrived to their land, the young woman and her mother did not have enough time to gather their belongings and escape from all of this tragedy. Instead, they were forced to endure it. With very little space for her and her mother to hide within their small home, it was then when suddenly the door to her home was smashed and kicked down and much to the young woman's horror, in came numerous different men hidden in armours, men that she did not recognize and had never seen in her life. After being shoved underneath the table to hide by her mother, the sharp wood cutting into the skin and flesh of her knees, it was then when the young woman had to witness the most horrible experience of her life.

Hugging her now cut knees up to her chest and her body shaking so violently with hearing the loud screaming and yelling and pleading, it was then when Pocahontas curiously and slightly poked her head out from under the table to witness what was happening, which was the biggest mistake she ever made. It happened so fast when she was suddenly yanked right out from underneath the table as not one but two of the men grabbed her by the arms and legs. She screamed, cried, fought and begged desperately for them not to kill her, which surprisingly they didn't. Instead, they forced the young woman to watch as the men had their selfish way with her mother.

Screaming at the top of her lungs and sobbing uncontrollably while the men held her in place, there the young woman watched as four other men brutally raped and beat her mother. Every single cry of pain that rose up from her mother's throat and echoed throughout the small house, her heart dropped deep down to the pit of her stomach. With blood that was slowly seeping out of her mother's body with every hit, punch and broken bone she received, Pocahontas cried out, as she tried so desperately to reach for her mother, but she was pulled back so violently as the men held her head in place by her jaw firmly and forced her to watch. Much to her horror that immediately scarred her for life emotionally, she witnessed as the men instantly stabbed her mother repeatedly all over with that sharpened silver blade that was now glistening and covered with her mother's blood. Right then and there, her mother died instantly, her eyes staring lifelessly up at the ceiling above her. After having to witness all of this tragedy and brutality, this eventually lead the young woman to a serious mental illness.

With his wife dead and murdered and having to wake up to the sounds of his daughter screaming, crying and fighting in her sleep, waking up in the middle of the night to comfort her and hold in her arms, her father discovered that his only child was definitely suffering from some sort of emotional illness, but he could not put his finger on what it was. Her father tried everything in his power to make Pocahontas go back to normal, back to the normal adventurous, innocent little girl she was, but he failed every time. He had tried getting her grandfather to talk to her, or taking her to visit the tree of her grandmother Willow for advice and guidance, but nothing worked.

Every time he would offer to take her to the lake to soak up, she cringed and cried. Every time he would try to sing her the lullaby that her mother would always sing to her to sleep, it never worked, and she would usually wake up screaming and crying in the middle of the night and was not able to go back to sleep. There were times when her father would catch her sleep-walking out into the cool night by herself. Every time he would gently try and wake her up out of her sleep, she screamed, but she never went back to sleep after she was awake. Anything that reminded her of her mother, including a necklace that she passed down to her, or having to stare right into a beautiful painting of her mother, brought tears to her eyes and gave her trouble falling asleep at night. Her father noticed that his only daughter was having great difficulty falling asleep, or not sleeping at all. She was never able to get the sleep that her body desperately needed, with bags under her eyes and her hair all messy and sticking up in different directions from lack of sleep deeply worried her father, witnessing the fact that she went two weeks without sleeping, period. Worried and concerned for his daughter's health, it was then when her father was finally able to discover that his only daughter was currently suffering from Nightmare Disorder, which would explain her lack of sleeping and screaming and crying in the middle of the night.

Realizing that the cause of her mother's death haunted her pure thoughts, saddened at the thought of having to do this, it was then when her father decided that it was time for the next step, which was getting his daughter the help she desperately needed. Even though she fought and cried and begged her father not to send her away, no matter how much it brought tears to his eyes to see her so damaged and vulnerable, he forced himself to push through it and do what was right for her.

On the day of April 23rd, was the day that her father flew her off to Briar Ridge Mental Hospital. Although everyone in this facility was very friendly, warm and caring, the young woman still had trouble falling asleep at night, but that would still take some time to adjust to. Not only was she forced to adjust to her new sleeping pattern, but she was also forced to accept her new temporary life.

As she shook her head from those thoughts with more tears spilling down her cheeks, Pocahontas decided that she no longer wanted to stay trapped in this little room for the rest of the night. For some reason, she desperately needed some fresh air to calm her down. She immediately jumped up from the bed and ran to her door, twisting the knob with her hand quickly as she ran down the dark hall, her bare feet padding against the carpeted ground, her breathing quickening with each leap she took as she raced towards the stairs.

Once she climbed the stairs and realized that she was now on the third floor, she stopped dead in her tracks, searching desperately for the familiar bright glow of the squared letters that read _EXIT_. Her cries and whimpers came and she was finally able to spot the glowing letters that was behind her in far distance as she quickly rounded the corner of the stairs. Without a care in the world, she violently pushed open the heavy door and instantly, she was met with the cool refreshing air that hit her smack in the face, inhaling the sweet fresh smell as it filled her lungs, her long black silky hair blowing so gracefully with the wind and her breathing was slowly calming down.

As she was enjoying the feel of the air cooling her down, Pocahontas desperately scanned the top of the roof in search for one specific person, the person that she needed the most. As her brown eyes came in contact with the flash of blonde that glistened in the darkness, a sigh of relief escaped her mouth as she was finally able to spot him sitting against the concrete wall. He wore nothing but a pair of gray sweatpants with a bright white tank-top that showed of his muscles that rippled through his skin, his eyes were closed as he was enjoying the feel of the cool fresh air on his hot sticky skin.

Wasting no time at all, Pocahontas immediately jogged her way over towards him, her bare feet padding against the cold stoned rocks, with each stride she took, all that could be heard were the sounds of rocks clashing together, but not too loud. He could hear her; he could feel her presence nearing towards him, as if he could literally smell that familiar sweet scent off of her that he's always loved. Once she finally made it, the young woman did nothing but quickly drop to her knees as she crawled desperately towards him, throwing her arms around his torso and squeezing onto him tightly. He automatically welcomed her embrace as he wrapped his arms protectively around her, softly kissing the top of her head, realizing that she had been crying, her tears were sliding down her cheeks and they dripped onto his white shirt, but that didn't bother him one bit.

Holding her close towards his chest, the young woman was able to compose herself, her heavy breathing was slowly calming down as she lifted her eyelids opened, and all she could make out was his blurry form looking down on her through those salty tears that blurred her vision. He lifted his hand and gently used his thumb to wipe her tears away, pressing his lips against her forehead as he inhaled her sweet scent.

"Bad dream again?" He asked softly, as Pocahontas nodded, more tears spilling down her cheeks.

"I-I can never get a-any sleep." She choked. "E-every time, I-I always see h-her face….and h-how much pain she was in."

"Shh." He said cooed. "It's alright, I'm here."

A sigh of relief escaped from her mouth as she rested her head on his chest, his fingers stroking through her long black silky hair lovingly with their arms wrapped protectively around one another. The couple sat in silence, letting the fresh night soak up their systems, enjoying each other's company with the moonlight shining down gently above them. It wasn't long until Pocahontas decided to break the silence.

"John, will we ever get better?" She asked hopefully, staring up helplessly into his ocean blue eyes.

"Get better?" John asked sounding somewhat puzzled by her question. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean…" The young woman hesitated. "Do you think that…..we'll ever….have the life that we've….always wanted….before we were sent here?"

A deep sigh escaped from the young man's mouth, a sad sigh in fact. Of course now he was able to understand and stomach down the question that his girlfriend was asking, but for some reason, he just couldn't figure out how to answer her question fully.

"I-I don't know Pocahontas." He sighed. "I want to say yes but….at this point…I just can't bring myself to give you the answer….that you want to hear."

"I understand." She whispered, staring into the dim lit moonlight staring down at her.

"I know you've been having trouble adjusting lately…" John began. "I know what it feels like….to be sent to a different place…that's all so new to you….a place that's…not your home."

Upon hearing his statement, a sigh escaped from the young woman's mouth as tears began to trickle down her face and down her chin. Just the thought of hearing the word 'home' was enough to bring back good memories, but more importantly, to bring back those horrible memories that she so desperately wanted to forget.

"Pocahontas, I know how it feels….to lose someone you love so dearly…" He whispered sympathetically, tears beginning to pool in his eyes, but he did not dare let them escape.

"John, please stop!" Pocahontas begged desperately, squeezing her eyes closed shut, her heart beating violently in her chest.

Realizing that his sympathy was beginning to grow out of hand, the young man only hugged his girlfriend tighter to his chest as he kissed the top of her head affectionately.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I didn't mean to go so far….it's just that…"

As he trailed off, the young woman slowly lifted her eyelids open as she lifted her head up to look into her boyfriend's eyes, which now had tears of his own trickling down his face, biting his bottom lip to prevent himself from bursting into a sudden sob. The pain that was written all over his face did nothing but hit her hard right in the gut, automatically knowing where he was trying to get at.

"Oh John…." She whispered. "You're s-still….thinking about….both of your parents…aren't you?"

The young man did nothing but close his eyes shut, squeezing the young woman tighter towards him as more tears spilled down his face, not wanting his girlfriend to see that he had been crying. Seeing the pain right through his eyes, Pocahontas did nothing but snuggle closer towards him. As much as she deeply loves John with all her heart, ever since the young man lost both of his parents at such a young age, it wasn't easy being forced to accept that he was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. From the time he was thirteen years of age, his father was brutally killed in a brutal war which he was forced to part-take in to protect his country of Britain. Only a few weeks after his father's tragic death, his mother fell into a deep depression, where she eventually committed suicide shortly after, which left the young terrified man on his knees, begging and crying desperately. Seeing as he had no one else to live with, his grandparents took him in, where they were quick to find that their beloved grandson was suffering from a serious mental illness, which was how the young man ended up in this place.

"John?" Pocahontas asked quietly, seeing as John still had tears streaming down his face. The young man kept silent, as he was holding back the sobs that were wedged deep in his throat.

"John, it will be okay." The young woman whispered affectionately, as more tears spilled down her cheeks while she rested her head against his chest, listening to the sound of his heart beat thudding from inside of his skin against her ear.

"I'm sorry…." He choked finally. "Sometimes I-I…..w-whenever I think of them….."

"It's okay." She whispered, tilting her head up to place a soft kiss on his jaw line. "It's okay….believe me John…the pain never goes away."

John bit down on his bottom lip, chewing on it as if he was trying to think of the right words to say, only to have his mind go completely blank. Right now seeing as the couple are both and forever will be stuck in this same painful boat, it was their jobs to protect each other, to comfort each other and most importantly, to be there for one another, seeing as none of them had anyone else but their selves. They needed each other; she needed him more, seeing as he was the only one to help put the broken pieces back together for her. After being forced to lose her mother, there was no way that Pocahontas was ever going to lose John, the man that she loved with all her heart.

Ever since she first stepped foot into Briar Ridge and seeing as she was frightened about being away from home, she would never forget that out of all the patients, John was the very first person to gently approach her and to let her know that she was not alone. At first, Pocahontas was uneasy about having to trust a stranger but as the days passed and the two got to know each other a lot more and discover their personal issues and disorders, it was then when the young woman immediately felt a strong connection with John, feeling as if the gravity of everything was only pushing the two closer together, the two lovers sharing a strong bond that neither of them had ever felt before. Instantly, the two fell deeply in love with another. Their relationship was built up on trust, support and most importantly, blissful love with one another. Unfortunately, the two were forced to keep their relationship a secret from everyone within in the hospital, but that never stopped them from sneaking out at night just to be together whenever neither of them could sleep, due to having to endure such brutal nightmares of their tragic pasts. But aside from everything, the relationship that the two have together is and forever will be strong as ever.

Sitting together in silence as the couple enveloped each other desperately, with all that could be heard was the sounds of their soft cries chorusing together and echoing quietly into the night, the young man did nothing but hold his girlfriend tighter in his arms as he kissed the top of her head, his lips slowly peppering down to her forehead, to her nose, her cheeks and finally, they eventually found her lips. John kissed her softly and passionately, with Pocahontas feeling as though all of her fears were being washed away, all of her emotions pouring out of her system, as the same for John apply.

Breaking his mouth away from hers, John rested her forehead against hers, this thumbs wiping her tears away from her eyes, his hot breath gently hitting her face.

"I promise, we will find a way to get better." He whispered. "I won't ever leave you."

"I believe you." She whispered back. "And no matter what happens, I'll always be with you."

Without letting another word slip out of his mouth, Pocahontas found herself crashing her lips onto his hungrily, wrapping her arms around his neck as he gently lifted up her whole body onto his lap so she was straddling him, with the wind beginning to pick up slightly as it blew so delicately over the couple.

For the remainder of the night, the couple spent most of their time outside on the rooftop, enjoying each other's presence, not daring to part from each other.

* * *

_It was dark, extremely dark, pitch black. Slowly, the young woman began to flutter her eyelids open, growing wide in terror as her breathing began to quicken, her heart beating violently inside of her chest, turning her head in different directions as she was trying to find a way to escape wherever she was. Without even thinking, Pocahontas began to sprint, running and running as fast as she could to escape this so-called place she was in at the moment. Unfortunately, there was no way out. Instead of finding a bright shining light that she was trying to desperately hard to find and run towards, all that seen was black, pitch black that was everywhere around her. Pocahontas felt as if she was running through a black endless whole, a whole that was sucking her back in and swallowing her up, but that didn't stop her from running._

_She ran as fast as she could, not daring to take a look back behind her. All she wanted to do was to find a way out of this nightmare, she wanted out. Her cries of fear echoed loudly throughout the dark whole, bouncing off of the walls as it came back to haunt her. The oxygen was filling deep inside of her lungs as she pumped her fists and began sprinting faster, feeling as if her legs were about to break off anytime soon._

_Pocahontas did not know exactly where she was running to or how she was going to get out this black whole, but she had to keep at it, she couldn't give up now. After what felt like hours of running and sprinting, it was then when all of sudden, the blackness underneath her feet were beginning to grow somewhat brighter. With each stride she took, the whole was growing slightly brighter, the brightness beginning to bounce off of her form as hope filled inside of her. There, joy filled her as she found a bright shining light ahead of her, which was her only escape. As she began to sprint faster towards the light, it was then when all of sudden, the sound of screaming erupted from farther behind her, the sound echoing through the darkness. _

_Pocahontas suddenly came to halt, just inches away from the bright whole that was her only escape out. As she stopped, the screaming started again, wincing at the sound of it, as if she scream sounded so familiar to her. It finally clicked in that the scream belonged to a woman that was in desperate need of help, but who could it belong to? Sucking in a gulp of air, the young woman closed her eyes shut, squeezing them closed tightly. The scream was beginning to grow louder, the sound pierced through her ears, as she suddenly recognized who the scream belonged to, as she suddenly snapped her eyes open, widening in terror, gasping in fear._

"_Mother!" The young woman gasped as she quickly headed in the opposite direction, running back into the black whole._

_Hearing her mother's cries and screams for help, just seeing her face that was filled with nothing but pain and torture in her head was enough to make the young woman run faster and faster, desperate to save her mother from brutal harm. With each stride she took throughout the dark whole, her mother's screams only got louder, which made her heart almost jump right out of her chest._

"_I'm coming Momma!" Pocahontas cried desperately out to her mother. "Hold on! I'm coming!"_

_Tears raced down her cheeks one by one, the wind from the black whole blowing viciously around her. To the young woman, maybe this was fate giving her another chance to save her mother for the second time, seeing as she never got the chance to save her the first time. Right now, all she needed was to find her mother and save her, hold her in her arms and bring her home to where she belongs. As her screams became louder, the young woman was sure that she was just inches away from her rescuing her mother, but nothing showed._

"_Momma, I'm coming! Don't leave me!" She shouted as she kept running._

_But what the young woman wasn't expecting was suddenly, she lost her footing as she tripped over her own two feet, her whole body flying forward as she fell. What surprised her was that she expected to fall face first onto the black ground but instead, she found herself falling continuously, as if she was falling down an endless dark whole, clawing her fingers in mid-air, screaming at the top of her lungs, reaching her arms up desperately for someone to grab her as nothing but the sounds of her mother's screaming began to fade softer into the background._

"_NO!" She screamed and cried violently. "MOMMA! NO!"_

"Momma!" Pocahontas cried desperately as she jolted awake, her breathing was quickening, as well as her palms were sweating and her heart was racing inside of her chest, almost as if it were just about ready to jump right out of her chest. As she was slowly able to calm herself and collect all of her thoughts, she realized that it was yet again, another chronic nightmare she had just awaken out of, those same cynical nightmares that she has of her mother, which only does nothing but haunt her.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, it was then when Pocahontas realized where she was at the moment. Right now, she was currently in the rest room, lying on a couch with all sorts of different books that surrounded her, as they were scatted in different places, with some that ended up on the floor beneath her. Sighing heavily, she slowly raised her body up from her sleeping position, which she had her knees crouched tightly to her chest, quickly running a hand through her black silky hair that was all over her face. Rising up in a sitting position with her legs crossed, it was then when she remembered that it was 5:15pm, meaning that it was homework time for the rest of the patients, and of course the books that were around her were none other than three other text books that must have fallen on the floor when she was thrashing about in her sleep.

Pocahontas remembered clearly that had decided to skip the personal phone calls to her father and try to focus on finishing her homework in the rest room instead, and that was when she felt extremely tired, feeling as her eyelids were drooping and before she knew it, she was fast asleep on the couch. Seeing as she was suffering from a serious sleep disorder and could never fall asleep when she wanted to, she often found it very difficult to function with day-to-day tasks, which often resulted in her just falling asleep randomly in class, in her therapy session, during homework hours and meal times. No matter how much she tried, falling asleep always frightened her. Every time she would close her eyes, she would end up seeing her mother's face, hearing her screams, seeing her blood pouring out in front of her and seeing her body lying in her own pool of red liquid around her.

Aside from John and her personal nurse, Nurse Fiona, Pocahontas didn't really have anyone to help balance her out on a day-to-day basis. She may have come in contact with some of the other patients, but likewise, she often kept to herself, seeing as people thinking she was completely crazy was the last thing she wanted. But sometimes when John wasn't around, she would often feel lonely and out of the loop, and most importantly, she couldn't find anyone else who could relate to her, preferably a female friend that she could relate to her issues.

Sighing and shaking her head from the thoughts that ran about in her mind, Pocahontas quickly picked up her books from the ground and laid them out around her, seeing as she was currently trying to finish some English work, which she had fallen asleep in the process, seeing as little bits of her saliva from her drooling was written all over a page in her text book. She sheepishly pushed her hair from her face so she could see what was she was required to complete from the text book.

Seeing as the words from the text book was confusing her, losing her train of focus from falling asleep, the young woman sighed heavily as she looked up helplessly from her book and right then and there, she spotted another young woman who was sitting on a couch that was across from her at the moment, with her head buried deep inside her English text book, her shoulder length black silky hair was covering her face. As her brown eyes scanned over the woman sitting across from her, Pocahontas took a deep breath, hesitating with whether or not she should go over there and politely ask her for any help, but with the way how the woman looked, seeing as she seemed to be closed up inside and more of a private person was preventing the young woman from making a move.

But deep down, Pocahontas was curious as to who this woman was personally. Even though she has seen her around numerous times before, she had never built up the courage to actually sit down and have a real conversation with her. Part of her was curious to find out more about his woman, but part of her feared that maybe she might judge her right off the bat and continue to keep her distance away from her. To Pocahontas, this woman looked as if she was the type to push people away, or at least to keep them locked out, no matter how hard they would try to push in. She looked as if she could not really trust anyone, but then again, the young woman has seen her with two other women, whom she has never met before.

Hesitating one last time, the young woman quietly lifted herself up from the couch and slowly made her way over towards the younger woman sitting cross-legged on the couch, clutching her text book closer to her chest. With every quiet step she took, it was almost as if the other woman could feel her presence nearing towards her, as Pocahontas noticed that her body was beginning to tense up as she kept her head down in her books. Soon, the young woman was standing over the woman below her, her long silky hair falling into her face as she sucked in a deep breath and finally broke the silence.

"Hi there, um…" Pocahontas said sheepishly. "Are you….finishing up the English work too?"

The younger woman gently poked her brown eyes over the text book; as she slowly pulled the book down to reveal more of her face, her pale cheeks beginning to bright pink as she stared at the woman standing above her, her fingers slightly shaking around her book.

"Yea…um…well I'm…trying to at least." The woman said quietly, her voice sounding adequately mute.

"Oh okay, um…I was wondering…if I could…ask for your help?" The young woman asked sheepishly, feeling just as nervous the woman was.

The woman hesitantly nodded her head. "Um…yea….sure."

"Thanks." Pocahontas smiled sheepishly. "Do you mind….if I take a seat…next to you?"

Nervously and without even thinking, the woman quickly moved her books from the now empty spot on the couch next to her, which now gave Pocahontas plenty of room to have a seat.

"Uh..n-no….not at all."

The young woman sheepishly crossed over and took her seat next to the woman on the couch, slowly shifting her weight on the cushiony seat as she placed her text book beside her while her notebook was placed on her lap, with the woman sitting cross-legged and also had all her books spread out on the wooden table in front of her. Silence filled the air between the two, but Pocahontas was the first to break it.

"I'm Pocahontas by the way." She said as she introduced herself. "What's yours?"

Sheepishly, the woman beside her turned and focused her attention on her, their brown eyes meeting for the first time.

"My name is Mulan." She said quietly. "It's nice to…meet you Pocahontas."

"It's nice to meet you too."

Cracking small smiles at one another, the two women sat in silence as they both got to work on their English homework which was required to be handed in a few days later. While Mulan was instantly beginning to jot down some notes in her notepad, as if she automatically understood what was required, Pocahontas did nothing but stare down at the book beside her, the fine black print of the words that stared up at her were definitely not making any sense to her, feeling as if her mind had gone completely blank.

"I don't….get this at all." The young woman sighed in defeat as she slumped into the cushion of the couch, only to have Mulan tear her eyes away from her work as she stared at Pocahontas sympathetically.

"It's not that hard." Mulan said quietly. "All that they're asking you to do….is to draw a diagram and outline each topic in different sections."

It never occurred to the young woman that what Mulan made absolute sense. Every word that spilled out of her mouth was exactly what she needed to her. Satisfied that the shy woman had kindly given her the answer, Pocahontas quickly thanked her and immediately scribbling down the answers on the white lined paper that was once blank in front of her on her notepad. Seeing as the time for homework was going to end soon, she wanted to get as much finished as she could before dinner started. Silence filled the air between the two once again, but Pocahontas was the first to break it.

"I-I've seen you around before." She said, furrowing her brow in confusion at her choice of words. "I-I mean….I usually see you….with these two other women."

"Oh…those are my friends…Esmeralda and Meg." Mulan said mutely. "Those two are my…closest friends here, since I first…came here."

"So…you're pretty new here, huh."

The younger woman sheepishly nodded. "Yea…I guess you could…say that."

"How long have you been here, if you don't mind me asking?" Pocahontas asked, her tone sounding hesitant and unsure. The younger woman slightly stiffened nervously, her fingers around her pen shaking slightly.

"Thirteen days….almost two weeks." Mulan confessed nervously.

"Oh…so you're fairly new then."

"Y-yea…how long have…you been here?"

"I've been here for a month." Pocahontas said. "I'm still…adjusting a bit."

Upon hearing this, the younger woman turned her head to face her, her brown eyes scanning over her curiously. She hesitated at first, but she finally built up the courage to let it out.

"I-I….know the feeling." Mulan confessed. "I'm still…adjusting too."

"Well, you've only been here for two weeks, so..I would imagine that you're still taking time to adjust and such." The young woman explained sympathetically.

"Yea but…." Mulan began as she shifted nervously on the cushion beneath her. "I don't know….that many people….I only have…t-three other friends that I'm still trying to work on opening up to more."

"Three friends?" Pocahontas asked.

"Yea….m-my newest friend…his name is Shang." Mulan began. "He's my…partner for activities."

"Well, at least you have a few friends." Pocahontas confessed sadly. "I-I don't have…any friends here…except for m-my….boyfr- I mean…my friend, John."

"I-Is John…the guy with…the blonde hair..the one without the facial hair?"

"Yes, that's him." The young woman smiled at the thought of tasting his name on her lips, the thought of hearing his low melodic voice whispering in her ears and the thought of seeing his face did nothing but comfort her on the inside.

"I usually….see you with him most of the times." Mulan said, breaking Pocahontas's train of thought as she snapped back to reality.

"Oh…yea, he's all I…really have out here." The young woman sighed. Awkward silence filled the air. For some reason, Pocahontas couldn't help but feel as though she was beginning to feel a connection with this woman. Something was telling her that maybe that both had something in common with one another, but she couldn't help but feel as though deep down this woman was closed up inside, or perhaps somewhat damaged. Part of her wanted to blurt out and ask her why she was here and find out more about her, but part of her had to accept that the two had just met and that they both needed time to adjust and get to know each other a lot more. She hesitated, but finally let it out.

"I hope you don't…mind me asking…" She began. "But…how come you're here?"

Upon hearing the question slip out of the woman's mouth, the younger woman once again began to stiffen; her grip on the pen only became tighter as she subtly began to shift her weight somewhat farther away from the woman sitting beside her. As she witnessed the younger woman beginning to feel uneasy about this, it was then when Pocahontas realized that maybe she had pushed her a little too far, as she felt nothing but sympathy towards her.

"I-I'm sorry…I didn't mean to-"

"N-no…it's okay." Mulan said quietly, as she hesitated. "I-I'm here because….I have…PTSD."

Hearing this not only saddened Pocahontas but it shocked her. Just hearing her answer only made her heart shatter to little pieces. Now it all made sense to her, it was obvious that this woman had gone through something traumatic to have her end up in this place, not to mention, to have to suffer from that kind of emotional disorder. The young woman stared at her in awe, her mouth hanging open, not knowing what to say, but only to feel sorry for her.

"I'm….I'm so sorry to hear that." She whispered apologetically. "If I'd known…I would have never…."

"No…don't be sorry." The young woman whispered in shame. "If I hadn't been so stupid in the past….I wouldn't be here."

"You shouldn't…feel like it's your fault, because it's not." Pocahontas said in a comforting tone. "I guess…we kind of have something…in common."

Confused, Mulan slowly focused her attention on Pocahontas, their brown eyes roaming over one another.

"We do?"

The young woman nodded. "Yea….I'm here because….I'm suffering from…what they call…Nightmare Disorder."

"So…you have trouble sleeping at night, you can never fall asleep when you want to." Mulan whispered quietly, as the young woman nodded sadly.

"Yea…I always have…horrible nightmares."

"I do too." Mulan said quietly. "But that would explain….the bags underneath your eyes." Shooting her head up, the young woman quickly put her hands to her cheeks, feeling slightly embarrassed as her cheeks turned bright red.

"Oh! I-I….um…." She stuttered and stammered in embarrassment. "Yea…from lack of sleep and rest I guess."

"But Mulan…you don't have to be afraid me." Pocahontas explained in a sympathetic tone. "I'm not going to hurt you, I know you've…probably already heard this before but, you can trust me."

As the younger woman hesitated as she tried to open her mouth and speak, it was then when the sound of a loud crash that echoed throughout the hallways as it bounced off the walls and seeped its way right into the rest room where the two women were currently sitting.

The sound was enough to startle both women as Pocahontas nearly jumped out of her seat and clutched her legs tighter to her chest. But to Mulan on the other hand, the sound was enough to trigger her thoughts as she immediately jumped and climbed over the back of the couch and quickly crawled her way over to a nearby corner, hugging her knees to her chest as she rocked her body and forth.

To the two women, the with the sudden loud sound that neither of them were expecting was enough to trigger both of their thoughts, as hearing the sounds of the loud crashing ponding in her ears immediately brought back the thought of having the door to her home be kicked down with such force that everything crashed and shattered to the ground, as this brought back those horrible memories that she so desperately wanted to forget.

Finally, the sound had subsided as the young woman slowly began to withdraw her hold on her knees, her body was shaking but that was beginning to subside as her heavy breathing began to calm down. Sucking in deep breath and exhaling slowly, Pocahontas noticed that the space beside her still remained empty, her eyes searching the room for any sign of Mulan.

"Mulan?" She called out softly, hoping to hear a response from her.

As she lifted her body of the couch and searching around the entire room, it was then when Pocahontas noticed that the younger woman was hidden in a nearby corner, witnessing the fear and terror that was plastered all over her face, the fear in her eyes was enough to make her heart sink deeper into the pit of her stomach. The young woman slowly made her way over Mulan, crouching down on her feet as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Mulan, it's okay." She said softly as she hesitantly reached a hand out to her. "It's done, nothing's going to hurt you, don't be afraid."

The younger woman hesitated, staring at the woman's hand that was reaching out in front of her, her body shaking as she hugged her knees tighter to her chest, her breathing was quickening as well as her heart that was thudding against her chest.

"Don't be afraid, Mulan, you can trust me, I promise." Pocahontas whispered softly. Mulan was hesitant for a while but as her brown eyes were scanning over the woman's delicate hand, she felt as though she could trust her. She slowly reached out and grasped her warm fragile hand with her delicate one as Pocahontas helped her up off the cold wooden floor and gently guided her back towards the couch.

"Thanks." She whispered, only to have Pocahontas crack a small smile.

"You're welcome." She said. "If it makes you feel any better, my friend John has PTSD too."

"He does?" Mulan asked sheepishly, as Pocahontas nodded.

"Yea he does, he went through a traumatic experience when he was younger, which is…what I'm guessing….you went through too. He's...closed up inside too."

"He sounds….just like me."

"He's a little bit like…the both of us…seeing as we…all went through some…difficult times out past…" The young woman began to trail off; just hearing the words come out of her mouth brought emotional pain to her heart.

"I-I know….the feeling." Mulan whispered. "I-I just…can't bring myself…to share it with anyone yet…"

"I understand." Pocahontas whispered back. "The feeling…is mutual."

As the two women sat in silence for the rest of the period, it was then when the sound of the bell rang lightly throughout the hospital, signalling that it was 6:00pm and that dinner was about to be served, meaning that the patients were to report to the cafeteria and retrieve their meals. Quickly, the two women gathered their belongings and began to make their way out of the rest room.

"It was nice getting to…talk with you, Mulan." Pocahontas said, smiling softly, only to have Mulan crack a small smile.

"It was…n-nice talking to you too." She said quietly.

"I'll see you…around sometime."

"Yea, sure." Mulan smiled and waved as they both headed towards the cafeteria to retrieve their individual seats.

* * *

Night had fallen in the state of Colorado, as the dark blue sky blanketed the city with the moon's dim light shining brightly above the town. It was now 10:05pm at Briar Ridge and yet, another productive day had come to an end, while all of the patients had retrieved to their rooms and were now asleep in their peaceful slumbers, except for one person that was.

Right inside her room, Pocahontas was lying with her whole body curled up in a tight ball underneath the blankets, her brown eyes were roaming over the dark room around her, unable to close her eyes and fall into a peaceful sleep which not only she, but her whole body desperately needed. She had tried everything she could to fall asleep, but nothing ever worked. She tried counting sheep in her head, staring at the moonlight the shone through the stained glass window, and even Nurse Fiona had stayed with her a little longer to make sure she had fallen asleep, but not even that worked.

No matter how hard everyone has tried, the young woman could never seem to fall asleep or adjust to her regular sleeping pattern that she was once familiar with, for the fear of having to endure those horrid and cynical nightmares of her mother haunted her, frightened and scarred her for life. The only thing –more like the only person- that could help her to fall asleep, was John, which was who she needed the most at this moment. Aside from being with him at night and seeing him during activity time, she had not been able to see John for the remainder of the day. Seeing as she had to witness his sudden breakdown during activity time for the day, the young man had to be taken into custody by the doctors for the rest of the day.

Even though she did get to be with him, and seeing as she didn't really have anyone else in this place except for him, she did miss spending time with him. She missed the feel of being wrapped up in his arms, and the feel of his flesh against her delicate skin. But aside from all of that, her thoughts began to linger to the young woman she met today, which was Mulan. Just thinking about her made her like she had some sort of connection towards her, even though she had just met her. Out of all the patients she has come in contact with-especially the female patients-Pocahontas felt as though even though Mulan had serious issues of her own she had to deal with, Mulan seemed a lot kinder and somewhat welcoming than the rest of them, even though she did seem very closed up inside, but Pocahontas was the exact same way.

Just hearing how quiet and mute she was, and witnessing that just hearing a strange unfamiliar frightened her, Pocahontas couldn't help but think of John at the exact same time….then that's when realization hit her. Maybe the reason why she felt a connection between Mulan and her was the fact that she and John were exactly the same, both suffering from PTSD and both of them having the same kind of reactions to anything that was unfamiliar to them. Maybe that's why the young woman was able to get along with Mulan so well. Even though she did not know anything about her, a big part of her was willing to take the next step and get to know her a bit more, and on the plus side, she would probably have a female friend that she could confide in and talk to once in a while if John wasn't around, but of course, that process would take a tremendous amount of time to build that trust with someone else, seeing as the both of them had gone through some traumatic experiences back in the past.

Shaking her head from those thoughts, Pocahontas only hugged her knees tighter to her chest, as she tried to fall asleep, but it was just no use. Pretty soon, being trapped in this bed was beginning to frighten her, feeling as if it was just about to swallow her whole. Without any hesitation, Pocahontas quickly threw the covers off of her body, lightly jumped off her bed and made her way towards the window; her heart was beating violently inside of her chest. Immediately, just as her brown eyes were staring at through the stained glass window into the dark moonlight night that reflected off of her face, was enough to bring a slight amount of comfort. She felt as her heart was beginning to slow down softly, which felt calming. The young woman must have stood there for about five minutes until she suddenly began to feel rather drowsy, feeling as her eyelids began to droop over her eyes. She tried her hardest to stay awake and to keep her eyes open, but the exhaustion in her body was beating her in the battle of staying awake.

Before she knew it, her eyelids draped her eyes closed as she gently fell to the ground, falling into a deep sleep that she would dare awaken from, and that's when everything from her past once again, crept into her mind and began to haunt her all over again.

_Popping her eyes wide open, the young woman found herself lying on a hard and crunchy surface that felt adequately unfamiliar to her. Her heart was thudding against her chest, as if it had a mind of its own and trying to find its way out. Confused, she slowly lifted her body up from the bed of crunchy, discoloured and dead leaves that surrounded her, feeling as the sudden gust of wind blew violently in her direction as the impact of the strong wind was swirling her black silky hair all around her, as she felt the silkiness curtain her face. Pocahontas was confused, frightened, and terrified, for she did not know where she was, this whole place was so unfamiliar to her._

_Whipping her head in different directions all around, she tried so hard to desperately search for an escape, but she was having no luck. The skies above her turned a dark shade of gray, the branches of the tall trees that stood above looked as if they were going to fall and crash all around her, as the branches clashed together, and the gust of wind only became stronger and heavier. The young woman only wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm, but it was no use. But suddenly, that same familiar sound erupted from right behind her, the scream and the cries of her mother echoing into the gray night. _

_Without any hesitation, Pocahontas let out a strangled gasp as she quickly picked herself up off the ground and began sprinting in the direction of her mother's cries and pleas for help, however little the young woman know, that she was headed down a dark path, the path that no one ever would return from. She ran and ran, not even looking back, as the gust of wind bit at her cheeks while the sharp branches of the trees and bushes pierced through her skin, right through her flesh, but that was not going to stop her, despite the cuts and blood that was pouring out of her. Right now, nothing was important to her, but only the fact of saving her mother was the only thing that mattered to her at this point. With each stride, her mother's screams were only getting louder and louder, feeling as though she was only right around the corner of finding her helpless mother and rescuing her once and for all._

"_Mother!" She called desperately. "I'm coming! Hold on!"_

_Pocahontas ran as fast she could, the stones and rocks on the ground cut into the surface of flesh on her heels and she was suddenly beginning to grow tired, her body was full of exhaustion, feeling as if she was malnourished as the heavy gust of wind only became heavier and stronger, but she was not going to give up, despite the fact that the wind was beginning to pull her back, but she tried her hardest to fight through it._

"_Momma! Don't leave me again! I'm coming!" She cried._

_But the wind only pulled her back even more, feeling as her legs were beginning to give out. The sounds of her mother's screams were only making her fight even more against the wind, but it was no use. It caught her off guard when she suddenly fell face first to the ground as her lips scraped against the dark concrete ground beneath her, tasting the bitter blood as it danced on her tongue. Much to her surprise, the young woman suddenly felt as a pair of hands wrapped around her ankles and began to pull her back, almost if she was being sucked into a dark whole that she so desperately was trying to escape from. A piercing scream erupted from inside her throat as Pocahontas tried her hardest to pull herself away from the grasp around her bare ankles, but only failed._

"_No! NO!" The young woman screamed. "Let go of me!"_

_As she was being yanked back into that same dark whole, the sound of her mother's screams only grew louder, pounding against her ears as Pocahontas herself was screaming, begging and pleading and trying to claw her way back in the direction she was headed, but she failed every time._

"_NO! Momma! NO!..." And with that, she was sucked into the dark whole, completely disappeared forever….._

"NO! Momma!" The young woman cried as she jolted awake from her nightmare that had happened not too long ago, gasping for breath as tears were streaming down her face and her whole body was shaking and trembling so violently, her heart was racing hard right inside of her chest.

It took Pocahontas a while to realize that it was only another chronic nightmare she was having and that she was safe and sound in her room at Briar Ridge. Everything was in its place, right where she left it, even her now messy bed with the comforters thrown all over the place. As she felt the carpeted ground beneath her, she realized that she had fallen asleep on the ground instead of her bed. Taking in deep breaths, the young woman curled her knees up to her chest as she rocked her body back and forth, with her cries that were wedged deep in her throat that erupted from inside of her as she sobbed silently, burying her face in her lap, digging her fingers through her scalp as her hair curtained all around her face as she tried to get the sound of her mother's screams and cries out of her head.

As she tried to get those horrid sounds from echoing in her head, the young woman began to grow confused and more scared when the sounds of soft and muffled screaming and crying continued. She was sure those sounds belonged to her mother, but her mother was dead, meaning she would definitely not be here. But suddenly, it dawned on the young woman as the sounds did not belong to her mother, but to another person, a woman perhaps.

Lifting her head from her knees and quickly wiping her tears with the sleeve of her dark brown long sleeved top, Pocahontas slowly and curiously crawled her way towards her door, as she pressed her ear against the cold marble door to hear if those sounds were actually real, or if she was hearing things. With her ear pressed against the door, her heart began beating faster as she realized that the sounds were real. Hesitating at first and taking and deep breath, the young woman placed her hand on the cold silver knob as she quickly twisted it and opened the door, rising up on her knees and then onto her feet as she poked her head out and slowly took a step out of her room and shut the door slowly and quietly.

Since her room was closer towards the stairs, the sound of the crying was coming from the same direction she was headed, as they grew louder with each she took, Pocahontas tip-toped quietly towards the sound. Just as she just inches away from the room of where the sound was coming from, it caught her off guard and nearly startled her as she noticed another figure, a pale figure who was sitting crouched up in corner, rocking her body back and forth nervously and fearfully as she was shielding her ears with her hands, as if she trying to prevent the sound from ringing in her ears, her bright red hair curtained her face, with her eyes closed shut.

Without even thinking, Pocahontas quietly made her way over towards the teenage girl who was crouched in the corner, as she slowly crouched down on the balls of her feet. She reached her hand out to gently grasp the girl's knee, which startled her as the girl literally jumped out of her pants, her blue eyes widening in terror as she crouched farther back into the corner.

"It's okay, you don't have to be afraid." The young woman whispered softly.

The teenage girl quickly shook her head, keeping her mouth closed shut as she inched farther away from Pocahontas, hugged her knees tightly to her chest as her body shook.

"What's wrong? How come you're out here?" She asked quietly.

Without even thinking, the teenage girl pointed her figure towards the door that Pocahontas had her back turned towards at the very moment. Confused, the young woman slowly turned to look over her shoulder, as she stood on her feet and quietly tip-toed towards the room, the room where the soft cries and screaming was coming from. With hesitation, Pocahontas curiously stood of her tip-toes as her brown eyes peeked inside through the little glass window from the room and immediately, that's when she regret it deeply the most for having to witness the most tragic thing ever.

Right inside the room, to her it seemed like dejavu all over again. Her eyes widened in terror as she noticed a young woman strawberry blonde shoulder length hair and pale skin, was being pinned down on the carpeted ground by a man that she had never seen before, witnessing as the woman remained in nothing but a white lace bra and was exposed from the waist down as the man had his whole body on top of hers, his strong big hands were covering her mouth as he raped her repeatedly, his black hair was curtaining his face.

To Pocahontas, having to witness this all seemed so familiar to her. As the woman's soft screams and cries rang inside the room, the young woman flinched. Just seeing all the pain that was plastered all over her face not only frightened her, but it was as if she was seeing how helpless her mother was all over again. Hearing her screams, the pain and humiliation, and the pleas was too much for her to bear and without hesitation, Pocahontas gasped as she turned around and raced down the stairs, despite the fact that teenage girl had already disappeared. Her footfalls were only getting heavier as she stumbled on her own two feet, tripped as her body rolled down the flight of stairs and with that, her body landed with a smack on the marble floor, tears were racing down her face as the pain crept inside her body and shot right up her spine and everywhere else.

As she was choking on a sob that threatened to escape from her system, Pocahontas tried to pushed herself up off the ground, but found she was too weak to do so, when she suddenly felt a pair of hands gently grab hold of her waist and slowly lift her off the cold floor, which startled her as she jumped and fought against the person who was holding onto her, for fear it was the same man that had just witnessed not too long ago.

"Shh! Pocahontas, it's me." That same familiar voice said quietly, the voice that she knew so well and that brought comfort to her.

As she began to relax, she realized the voice and the hands belonged to none other than John, as immediate comfort spread inside of her. Through her tears, she quickly threw her arms around his neck as she hugged him tight towards her, sobbing silently into his shoulder as she felt his arms snake protectively around her waist, his other hand gently and softly rubbing her back as he whispered soothing words in her ears and kissed the top of her head.

"Shh, it's okay, I'm here." John whispered affectionately.

With the feel of his warm body against hers, Pocahontas's crying began to slowly die down as John gently peeled her away from him, cupping her face in his hands, using his thumbs to wipe her tears away as he placed a tender kiss on her forehead and pressed his forehead against hers.

"You dreamed of her again, didn't you?" He asked softly, as the young woman nodded, hiccupping violently.

"Y-yea….I-I did." She stammered. "B-but….I-I….u-upstairs-s…..I-I saw…."

"What's wrong? What did you see?"

"I-I…..s-saw….J-john….I-I…." The young woman only stammered and choked more before breaking down into another silent sob as she buried her face in his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his torso, gently grasping and pulling against the fabric of his shirt. His response was to only hold her tighter towards him, his fingers stroking her hair lovingly as he rested his chin on the top of her head.

"Do you want to come and sleep in my room tonight?" He asked, with the young woman nodding, for she did not want to be alone at the moment.

Without another word, the young man guided his girlfriend towards his room, with the two slipping inside and slowly closing the door shut. Pocahontas didn't know what came over her. Before when she had her mother, she was a strong and brave person, nothing could ever scare her. But having to be sent away from home, having to relieve her haunted past through her nightmares and of course, witnessing the most traumatizing incident that only brought back those memories, only weakened her even more.

As much as she hated to admit, she needed help. She needed to get back to the person she once was before all of this happened. All she knew was that if she didn't get better, she would be stuck in this place for a very long time. Starting in a few days, Pocahontas was going to try her hardest to take the next step into the road of her recovery.

* * *

**Heya everybody! Once again, so sorry for the long delay! As you can all see, it's definitely been a hectic couple of weeks! So anyways, I hope you guys really liked Pocahontas' chapter, seeing as some of the parts in this story was based off of true events, but other than that, I hope you enjoyed it because I thought it was very interesting to write about. Anyways, there will be plenty more chapters featuring minor characters, so like I always say, don't forget to vote for your favourites that you would like to see next! And as always, I would like to give a big shout out to all my loyal and trusted readers/reviewers, especially to my newest fan bs13! Thank you so so much for your encouraging reviews and it means the world to me that you're enjoying my story so much! Also, I would like to thank my anonymous reviewer, Celia for telling me that my story is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much! Seeing your review put the biggest smile on my face! I'm so glad you're enjoying this and I hope to hear more from you very soon! I would like to thank Roninarnia and my very best friend, supersmashkingdomhearts1999 and Suzerenma! Thank you so much guys and there will be plenty more ahead. Oh, and if you guys want to read more of my stories, check out my Hercules story "For The Love Of A Daughter" and let me know what you guys think! Anyways, next chapter features Jane again! Don't forget to show our love and R&R! Thanks guys! Muah!***


	14. Jane: May 25th

**Chapter 14: Jane, May 25****th**

Tick…..tick….tick….tick…

The clock hanging on the bright white wall ticked and ticked continuously. The hands on the clock circled ever so slowly around, until the little hand still remained between the black bold numbers of two and three, while the big hand was pointed right on the five, meaning that it was only 2:25pm and there was only thirty-five more minutes left of activities, much to Jane's discomfort.

As always, the nurses made sure to keep the different groups of patients in separate rooms during activity time. They claim by doing that, it would give everyone the opportunity to bond and open more with their own personal partners, so that they could get to know one another and most importantly, to build trust and support from their peers, instead of having to rely on the nurses and doctors most of the time. As far as communication goes, it seemed as if every one of the patients were getting along well with one another, well, that's what it seemed like to Jane, who absolutely dreaded the time that activities would take place.

While the rest of the other patients were currently about and silently murmuring with their own partners, Jane on the other hand continued to keep quiet, never getting the chance to pipe in one word or even a subtle sound between her and her two other partners, Tiana and Naveen, who were currently bickering with one another at the very moment, all that could be heard was the sounds of their annoyed and angry harmonious murmurs chorusing together. Unfortunately, it was always like this for the young woman, almost as if it were her daily routine ever since the very first day of activities where she was assigned to be in a small group of three. Seeing as Tiana was the only friend she had in this place, Jane thought that being with her in a group would be somewhat beneficial, but boy was she ever wrong. Seeing as both Naveen and Tiana constantly bicker and argue with one another every single day, not only was this beginning to annoy the young woman to bits and pieces, but it was enough to start triggering her disorder, more so than she could ever imagine.

Seeing as Naveen was currently suffering from Narcissistic Personality Disorder –which was what Jane and Tiana both discovered the very first time they met him- this was the main reason why Tiana and him both butt heads so quickly. With Tiana's major depression disorder, it was no wonder the two found themselves arguing with one another. Jane on the other hand, was a woman of peace. Seeing as she was such a perfectionist- which is part of her disorder and the main reason why she was here- all she ever tried to do was to get the two to try and get along and work things out, but of course, none of that ever worked, which was really beginning to irritate her, but as the doctors and her nurse advised her to do, she tried her hardest to maintain her calmness, so that she could prevent herself from going completely insane.

Currently in the moment with only five minutes passing by, the young woman and her two partners had all gathered in the rest room together, while Jane was in the process of trying to tune out the sounds of bickering and arguing from the two while at the same, trying to complete yesterday's homework from class, which she had not been able to work on last night, seeing as she was rushing to finish her Math work before classes would start.

"You are such a jerk!" Tiana complained. "I can't believe I have to be paired with you!"

Hearing her harsh comment only made Naveen even more offended than he already was, as he scoffed in disgust and eyed the beautiful dark skinned woman sitting in from of him down.

"I'm NOT a jerk!" He spat back. "How dare you say something like that to me! I mean, look at what I have to deal with! You're such a downer, like a bump on a log for pete sake!"

"I'd rather be a bump on a log and a downer than some narcissistic, ego-maniac, spoiled brat!"

"I'm not a spoiled BRAT!" The young man shouted angrily, his booming voice echoed throughout the small little rest room as it bounced off the walls.

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

"NO. I'M. NOT!"

"YES. YOU. ARE!"

Having to be exposed to two booming voices that rang and pounded against her ears, the young woman quickly dropped hold of her pen and placed her warm hands over her ears. Jane could feel that her heart rate was beginning to dangerously increase higher and higher each time their voices grew louder, as the two continued shouting and yelling at one another, they were both pretty much in each other's faces as Naveen only towered over the woman standing below him, his face boiling red as well as Tiana's. Closing her eyes shut tightly, Jane only began to rock her body back and forth, as she tried her hardest to resist the urge to just blow up at them and force the two to get along herself, but for some reason as much as she wanted to, she tried her hardest to restrain herself.

As much as the young woman was immune to her partners fighting every single with each other and as much as she would try to control herself from freaking out on the both of them, she couldn't, she just couldn't bring herself to do that. Part of her just wanted to get up and punch each of them in their faces and part of her thought to just get up and move into a much quieter room where she could finish her work. But Lord knows if she were to leave the two on their own for at least two seconds, all hell would break loose and eventually, one of them would end up badly hurting the other, which would most likely be Naveen, seeing as he could easily snap a child's neck in half with the temper he has right now.

Even though she's been here for almost two weeks, part of Jane was still not able to adjust to the fact that she was no longer in England, the place where she called home and part of her could not accept the fact that her father had kept this deep family secret hidden from her for all her life, and now she was forced to live this temporary lifestyle for God knows how long. As much as she was somewhat glad to be away from home, the young woman still would never accept the fact that she this place could cure her of this disorder and so far since she's been here, to the young woman, it felt as though things were only beginning to get worse.

She could never control the urges that she would normally receive on a regular basis. Whenever there was a tiny spill of coffee on the table or even a single grain of rice that just happened to drop on the ground, Jane often found herself freaking out over the littlest messes that her eyes would come across. If there happened to be a small stain on her dress, or if her hands would accidently come in contact with a dusty obstacle, or even if there was a tiny drop of blood on her leg, the young woman would hyperventilate, to the point where she almost had a minor anxiety attack. Of course, the doctors and nurses were doing everything in their power to help cure her but to Jane, everything was hopeless. As much as she would hate to admit this, she couldn't help but deep down feel as though she would never get out of this place, and that she would be here much longer than she anticipated.

As the sounds of the young woman and the young woman arguing and yelling one another continued to float on and on, it was enough to break Jane's thoughts as she was suddenly pulled back to reality, which did disappoint her somewhat. Sighing and groaning in annoyance, the young woman only threw her books aside as she jumped off from the couch and nearly shivered when her bare feet met the cold ground and stomped her way over towards the two bickering patients, as she did nothing but glare at the two with so much fury and anger built up inside of her.

"Stop it, both of you! That is enough!" The young woman yelled as she pushed her way between the two and held both of them back with each hand.

Instantly, both Tiana and Naveen closed their mouths shut tight, as the sound of Jane's yelling did nothing but startle them both. Right now, the young woman was at the edge of her breaking point and having to be forced to hear her partners fight was the last thing she needed right now. As she tried to bring down her anger level, her furious eyes darted between the two, eyeing them both down as silence filled the room. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak.

"Both of you need to stop this constant bickering with one another!" She shouted. "I've had it with both of you! We're supposed to be helping each other, not fighting! I am so sick of having to hear the both of you fight like little children! You two are grown adults, heck we all are!"

All that could be heard was the sounds of the young woman's yelling as it echoed throughout the little room as it seeped it way out and down the hallway, which did startle some of the patients passing by. All that Tiana and Naveen could do at this point was to stay silent, the both of them flinching at the sound of Jane's booming voice that was pounding in their ears.

"Now will both of just get a bloody grip and get along with each other?" She yelled again. "Is that so hard to ask for?"

"She started it.." Naveen muttered angrily under his breath, as hearing this only caused Tiana to boil with anger.

"I did not!" She shouted back at him. "If it wasn't for you always boasting and complaining about yourself-!"

"You see that, Jane? She always has to start things with me!" He yelled back, throwing back his words right in her face.

"I do not!"

"You do too!"

"No I don't!"

"Yes you do!"

"NO I DON'T!"

"YES YOU DO!"

"Will the both of you just SHUT UP!" The young woman screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice was beginning to grow dry with all of the constant yelling, which immediately made the two bickering adults shut their mouths as they eyed each other down with a dare glare.

"That's it! I've had it with you both!" Jane yelled. "I can't do this anymore! I'm going to find Nurse Colette and request for a new partner, or at least a new group! You two are both utterly ridiculous!"

As the young woman exited the space that she kept from her two partners to prevent them from going at each other, she quickly gathered up her books from the couch and began to make her way towards the door when all of sudden, a hand stopped her as it grabbed hold of her arm desperately. Automatically, Jane's instincts were to believe that it was most likely Naveen that grabbed onto her arm but as she whipped her head around with that same angry glare on her face, she was surprised to find that the hand belonged to none other than Tiana, as the woman stared helplessly into her friend's blue eyes with an apologetic that was written all over her face. The two women stood in silence as Tiana kept her gentle, yet firm grip on Jane's arm, but before Jane could open her mouth to speak, Tiana beat her to it.

"Jane, please don't go." Tiana begged her friend. "You're right about everything, and I'm sorry for acting like such a child."

"Are you just apologizing because you actually mean it? Or are you only apologizing because you don't want to have end up being alone with Naveen?" The young woman asked bitterly.

Usually, Jane wasn't the one to be so harsh and bitter towards anyone, especially towards her close friends and relatives and just the thought of it only made her feel slightly remorseful, which was beginning to worry her. Since she's forced to adapt to this new temporary lifestyle and having to wake up in a completely different place knowing that she's three to four hours away from home, of course it was hard for her to stay positive and not thing negative, but unfortunately, none of that was working out for her, since most of the times Jane would usually allow her negative side to kick in and completely take over everything.

The young woman just right into her friend's face that had hopeless and remorse written all over it, the two of them staring eye to eye with one another, as Jane did nothing but glare right into Tiana's eyes. After a moment of silence, again, Tiana was the first to break the silence as she sighed deeply and withdrew her hold on Jane's arm.

"Both…I guess…" She sighed sadly as she stared down at her feet beneath her, causing the young woman to roll her eyes and grunt in annoyance.

Part of her wanted to just storm out of the room and not say a word, but part of her couldn't help but feel that little tiny ounce of guilt that was beginning to grow inside of her, which was really beginning to annoy her, seeing as she was usually never able to hold a long term grudge for very long. Seeing how sad her friend was not only made her feel guilty, but right then and there, that's when it finally hit her, as her glare slowly began to disappear from her face and instead, a look of sadness replaced it, as she realized that her attitude and hostility was not only beginning to hurt Tiana deeply, but it was beginning to trigger her disorder.

Sighing in defeat, Jane slowly reached her hand down and grasped it with Tiana's, her thumbs gently tracing over her warm knuckles as she kept her gaze on hers, opening her mouth to speak.

"I'm sorry I was hard on you, Tiana." The young woman apologized sincerely. "I didn't mean to yell-"

"Don't be sorry, Jane." Tiana whispered in doubt. "You had every right to….I shouldn't have acted like such a child….and I shouldn't have been the one to….provoke the fight with Naveen…."

"It's not your entire fault, dear, Naveen shouldn't have tempted you."

"I didn't tempt her!" Naveen argued through gritted teeth as he clenched his fist tightly. "She was the one who started it! She always starts it!"

"I didn't try to start anything with you, Naveen!" Tiana spat back as she whipped around to glare at him. "Why do you always have to assume that everyone is out to get you?"

"Because they always are!"

Seeing as this was yet again about to get out of hand, before Tiana could get another word in, Jane was quick to beat her to the punch as she quickly stepped protectively in front of her friend to block her.

"Now Naveen, you really need to stop this." Jane said calmly. "No one is out to get you. We're supposed to be helping each other out, not fighting or blaming them for anything."

"She's right, Naveen." Tiana said over Jane's shoulder.

Upon hearing these statements, the young man did nothing but scoffs in disgust and rolls his eyes as he groaned in annoyance, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration, eyeing the two women down as if they had gone crazy.

"I don't need anyone's help!" He argued. "I'm perfectly fine the way I am!"

"Naveen, everyone needs help, even if they don't think they do, and you definitely need it."

"I don't need help!" He spat back, angrily grabbing his cup of coffee that sat on the table.

"Yes you do, Naveen." Jane said sincerely.

"I do not!"

"Yes you do."

"No, I don't!"

"Yes you do."

"NO I DON'T!" He shouted back angrily, throwing his arms in the air, completely unaware that his warm drink just splashed out of his cup as it rained down on none other than Jane, hitting her square in the chest as the hot drink came in contact with her skin through her cotton dress, splattering all over her which would definitely leave a gigantic stain in the morning.

As Tiana gasped in shock and shot Naveen a look of pure hatred, fear and anxiety began to slowly rise from within the young woman as she dropped her jaw wide open and hesitantly looked down at her now soaked dress, which was covered in a large and fresh coffee stain, her breathing was beginning to quicken as well as her heart rate, as she tried desperately not to panic, squeezing and balling her fists tight enough to draw a tiny bit of blood from the impact of her finger nails digging into her skin. Fearfully, she dropped her books onto the ground beneath her, slowly adjusting her gaze onto the young man standing in front of her, who did not look the least bit remorseful for his action that he had caused just a minute ago. Before she could open her mouth to speak, Tiana was the first to beat her to it.

"Naveen! Look at what you've done!" She hissed in harsh tone, as Naveen did nothing but shrug his shoulders, looking somewhat amused by this whole thing.

"So what? It's not like I did anything wrong." He replied in an unsympathetic tone. "She shouldn't have been standing in the way."

"But she has OCD!" Tiana spat. "Look at what you've done to her!"

"Who cares?"

Holding her arms up and taking one last look at her now soaked dress, without even thinking, a sudden loud and high-pitched shriek erupted from her throat as it echoed throughout the little rest room and seeped it way out and down the hall, as she tried desperately to fan herself violently, trying to get the feel of her now damp clothing material off of her and dry off quickly, but that did not work at all, and now, she was on the verge of having a meltdown. It wasn't long until the young woman began fearfully circling her way around the rest room, screaming at the top of her lungs while flapping her arms, careful not to let her hands come in contact with soaked fabric.

"Ah! Oh my goodness, get it off me! Get this off me!" She screamed, panicking as Tiana and Naveen did nothing but stare in horror and terror, while Tiana tried her hardest to calm her friend down.

"Jane, Jane!" She yelled. "Please calm down! It will be okay!"

"Get this off me! Get if off! GET IT OFF!" She screamed again as she began running in circles like a headless chicken running around the barn and panicking, instantly beginning to feel dizzy as her vision floated and spun all around her.

"Jane, please just calm down okay? Let me go get Nurse Colette!" Tiana begged her friend again, fear beginning to form inside of her as she watched her friend in terror, her eyes widened in shock as she tried her best to approach the young woman without startling her even more, but feared that she would end up getting hurt in the process.

Jane could hear her friend's words, but none of that was sinking in, she was not able to calm down. Instead, she only found it getting worse than usual and she could not bring herself to break out of this meltdown, she continued to flap and fan herself frantically while running in circles and screaming to get the stain out, and right then and there, she began hitting herself while she tried to rip the dress off her and tear it in two pieces, but she failed every time, despite that she could hear Tiana's yells and cries for help to arrive. With no luck ripping the dress off her, Jane immediately dropped to her knees on the hardwood ground with such force that her knees were immediately bruised, but she ignored the pain that was shooting up her knees and up to her thighs, as she tugged and pulled on the fabric that clung to her body from with dampness of it.

"Get this thing off me! NOW!" Was all she could scream at the top of her lungs.

Witnessing how damaged her friend was, Tiana sucked in a deep breath and calmly and slowly made her way over towards her, tip-toeing softly so that she didn't startle her, with her hands held out in case she needed to defend herself from harm, waiting and pleading desperately for the nurses to get here as quick as possible. But right now as she much as she was frightened to death at this point, her friend needed her and she was going to do whatever it takes to try and calm her down, even it meant getting hurt in the process.

"Jane?" Tiana called gently, approaching her friend was now kneeling on the ground, with her eyes widening in terror as she quickly scrambled farther away from Tiana, not wanting to cause her any harm. "Jane, its okay, let me try and help you."

"NO!" The young woman yelled in terror. "No! Tiana stay back! I don't want to hurt you!"

But Tiana simply just ignored her friend's statement as she let out a nervous sigh and slowly moved closer towards the woman beneath her, who's hands were shaking violently as well as her whole body as she backed farther away, while Naveen on the other hand just stared at the two in shock, with no look of remorse ever crossing his features.

"Jane, don't be afraid, you won't hurt me." Tiana advised. "I just want to help."

"Tiana stay back!" Jane yelled again as she crab walked back into a corner where she curled her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly, ignoring the fact that the dampness from her dress was now soaking through the fabric and clinging to her skin.

"Tiana, don't be stupid!" Naveen hissed. "You'll get hurt! She's already crazy enough as it is!"

"Naveen don't start!" Tiana snapped back in defense as she glared at him. "She's my friend, and it's my job to try and help her!"

Without another word, Naveen immediately shut his mouth as Tiana carefully followed the young woman into the corner, remorse and guilt written all over her face as she watched her friend rock her body back and forth. Jane's worried gaze was still fixed Tiana approaching her and right then and there, she knew there was no other way to escape. As much as she didn't want to hurt her and to protect her, she had to do it, like what she did to her father back in the forest, even though she never meant to hurt him.

As Tiana was getting closer and closer, she barely had enough time to crouch down on the balls of her feet and before she knew it, without any thought or hesitation, Jane quickly and aggressively shoved her back with so much force that Tiana immediately lost her footing as her whole body fell backwards and landed with a loud thud on the hardwood ground, her head bashing into the wooden table behind her as a piece of it broke off and right then and there, Tiana was on the ground, her chest facing up as she was knocked into unconsciousness.

Realizing what she had just done, a loud gasp escaped from Jane's mouth as tears filled her eyes and she slowly brought her now shaking hands back towards her, her tear-filled eyes looking down at her shaky hands and fingers and darting her gaze back to the now unconscious woman lying in front of her, while Naveen quickly rushed over towards Tiana and knelt down beside her, his fearful gaze wandering over her unconscious body helplessly, not knowing what to do. Immediately, the young woman clamped her hands on her mouth in shock and fear as she choked on a sob that was wedged deep inside of her throat.

"Tiana! I'm so sorry!" She blurted through her tears, as Naveen immediately shot her a look with pure disgust.

"Look at what you did!" He shouted back at her. "She's unconscious because of you!"

"I didn't mean to-"

"It was just a stupid stain!" He shouted, his loud voice booming and bouncing off the walls. Immediately, the young woman glared angrily at the young woman through her tears.

"None of this would have happened if you hadn't spilled your coffee all over me!" She yelled back.

Before Naveen could get another word in, it didn't long for the doctors and the nurses to arrive as they sprinted their way down the hallways and made it just in the nick of time, with a gurney being wheeled behind them. After witnessing the catastrophe and disaster within the rest room, they all gasped in unison as Nurse Colette immediately shot Jane a look of fear and remorse, knowing exactly what had happened. While the rest of the nurses and the doctors wasted no time and lifting and strapping Tiana's unconscious body to the gurney and wheeling her away, Nurse Colette calmly and slowly began to approach the young woman that was cowering in the corner while the kept a steady and careful eye just as she was doing so.

"Jane, don't be afraid." She said calmly. "I'm not going to hurt you, everything's going to be okay."

As much as she knew her nurse very well and was beginning to feel comfortable around her, Jane quickly shook her head fearfully, as she hugged her knees tighter towards her chest, fear boiling over her and the last thing she wanted to cause her nurse any harm, just like she had done to her friend not too long ago. Nurse Colette withdrew a nervous sigh as she put one foot in front of the other, the sound of her shoe softly brushing against the hardwood floor as she made her way over towards her patient, holding her hands out in front of her if anything were to happen.

"I-I don't want to hurt you!" Jane cried in fear. "Stay back!"

"You're not going to hurt me, love." Nurse Colette said soothingly, ignoring the young woman's protests. "I promise you that."

As the woman was just inches away from her, without even thinking the young woman immediately lunged herself towards her nurse, as she expected the two to topple to the ground, but was surprised to find that Nurse Colette had both her wrists locked tightly and firmly in her grasp as she stared down at Jane. Seeing as she was much stronger than she was, Jane knew that she had lost the battle, as she burst into tears and clutched onto the woman desperately, while Nurse Colette gently stroked her hair and hugged her close.

"It's okay, love, everything will be okay." She whispered affectionately. "Come Mon Cher, let's get you cleaned up."

The middle-aged woman helped her patient off the ground with her arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders as she guided her out of the room and down the hall, with Jane shaking the whole way down.

* * *

3:30pm had hit in the blink of an eye, which meant classes were just beginning and every single patient was required to attend their classes regularly, with the exception of Jane on the other hand. While everyone else had disappeared into their small classrooms, currently the young woman had been in custody by the nurses ever since her little spasm attack she had earlier. Nurse Colette had advised the rest of the nurses that the best thing to do would be to keep Jane in custody for the rest of the day until it was time for bed, while they all quickly agreed, seeing as none of them wanted a repeat of what happened earlier during activity time.

While she spent most of her time resting on the couch with her body curled up in tight ball, her dirty stained dress swapped for a clean and warm one with her body beginning to tremble slightly, as much as she wanted to erase those images from her head, she couldn't. Jane's mind was too caught up and preoccupied with the spasm attack she had, remembering every single detail and horrible image that caused her to tremble even more. As the images continued to flashing throughout her brain, the image of her pushing Tiana so violently and causing her to hit her head against the table only began to frighten and worry her. The thought of her friend currently being withheld in the emergency room only made her feel guiltier than she ever felt in her life, which was odd to her seeing as she never usually felt guilt towards anyone, with her father being the exception.

Part of Jane wanted to rush to the emergency room and be there for her friend and apologize to her, but part of her couldn't bear to face her, not after what happened. The thought of having to see her friend unconscious with a bandage wrapped around her head to prevent any more blood from spilling out of her only frightened the young woman even more, seeing as that sight would definitely trigger her disorder even more than when Naveen had purposely splashed his coffee all over her and felt absolutely no remorse about it whatsoever. Automatically, she hated Naveen for doing that to her, for putting her on the spot like that, only to have him turn around and blame the whole thing on her. Jane hated him. But at the same time, she shouldn't be blaming him; after all, he wasn't the one who put her here. As much as Jane would that she hated Naveen with a passion, deep down she hated herself more, more than she could ever imagine.

She hated herself; she blamed herself for having to be diagnosed with this disorder. She hated having to accept the fact that she was definitely not the young independent woman she once was, and she knew deep down that she would never get that independence back; no matter how much she wanted it. But what was beginning to worry her more, was the fact that she hated how mentally unstable she currently is right now. She hated having to be dependent on others to help 'fix' her or to 'cure' her. Most of all, she hated that as long as she was going to be stuck in this place for quite some time, she was never going to find what she deeply craved the most, which was love.

As soon as the thoughts of love popped in her head, her mind was instantly painted with the thoughts of that same young man whom she came in contact with, which was none other than Tarzan. Seeing his chiselled face and his beautiful and exotic looking structure only made Jane weak in the knees, butterflies scattered about on the inside of her stomach. Ever since her very first day she stepped foot into this place and the very first day she met Tarzan, she could never stop thinking about him, which she often found herself doing every single day, which was beginning to worry her. As much as she tried to remember that absolutely no one was allowed to be around him and she tried to forget about him, she couldn't. She couldn't get the look of his confused expression out of her head. She couldn't get the thought of feeling his warm fingers entwined with hers from off her. It was almost as if his warm and pleasure touch continued to linger about on her skin which she could not get off, almost as if it was permanently attached to her forever.

As much as Jane would try and force herself to completely forget about this man, she just couldn't, and one thing that the young woman would hate to admit –even though deep she knew it was true- the minute her eyes had met his, she was physically/sexually attracted to this man, even if he had trouble communicating with other people, she was still attracted to him. If she wasn't constantly thinking about him during the day, at night Jane would often find herself having fantasy dreams about him, seeing his brown eyes staring deep into hers, feelings his soft and gentle touch curiously lingering all over her flesh, and feeling his hot breath on her neck, which always would be interrupted as she would usually bolt wide awake from her fantasy.

A heavy sigh escaped from her mouth as she continued to keep her body curled up in a tight ball, longing for him and his touch that she so deeply found herself craving. As many times as she was tempted to sneak into his room again with no one looking, the young woman would not allow herself to do that, seeing as she was already beginning to grow somewhat obsessed with this man that she barely even knows, but at the same time part of her was really beginning to crave that affection that she's desperately been yearning for all her life. Deep down, Jane knew that something about this was bad for her, but at the same time she just couldn't quite put a finger on the reason why. But right now, all she wanted was to see him, and to be in his presence.

Without a second thought, the young woman found herself quickly unwinding herself from her curled up form, stretching her legs out and winced as her bare feet met the cold ground with the chill shooting right up her calves, but she forced herself to ignore that and quickly shot up from the couch and headed straight towards the men's hallway on the first floor, with the doctors and nurses who were currently in a meeting at the moment which made it easier and effortless for Jane to get away so fast. Once she found herself reaching towards the bedrooms, the young woman automatically remembered that his was the second room on her left. As she took one long glance around her to make sure that the coast was clear and there were no male doctors lurking about, Jane lifted herself up on the balls of her feet and peeked inside the room through the small glass window, her heart beating excitedly inside of her chest and butterflies swirling about in her stomach as she noticed that same familiar figure sitting inside the room all by his lonesome, who at the same time was occupying himself with what looked like a sketch pad while he painted all sorts of shapes and squiggly lines all over the white paper.

Without any hesitation, Jane twisted the cold silver knob and quickly let herself inside the room, closing the door shut quietly behind her, not taking her blue eyes off of him. Just by hearing the sound of the door hinges squeaking shut, the young man immediately stopped what was he was doing as he turned his head in her direction, his curious chocolate brown eyes meeting hers. At first judging by the way he was staring at her, Jane was almost certain that he would fear her again like he did the last time. But surprisingly, he didn't. Instead, he found himself turning his whole body towards her and his expression changed from curious to feeling somewhat happy and excited at the fact that this same woman had come back to see him, remembering every single feature that belonged to her, cocking his head to the side as he tilted his mouth into a soft smile.

"Jane." He smiled, and right then and there, Jane could immediately here the smile in his voice just as he said her name. The young woman did nothing but return the soft smile back as she slowly made her way towards him, both their gazes locked on one another as Jane found herself sitting at the edge of his bed, right beside him.

"Hello Tarzan." She smiled back, balling up her fists in her hands as she tried to resist her physical urges that she was feeling on the inside every time she looked into his chocolate brown eyes.

Silence fell over the two familiar strangers, while Tarzan did nothing but continue to keep his chocolate brown eyes right on her blue ones that twinkled with delight every time she looked into his, his head still cocked to the side as if he were trying to figure her out, feeling just as curious as she was, while Jane continued to do the same. The kept their eyes on one another and without even thinking, the young woman found herself inching her body somewhat closer towards him so that their flesh was touching each other, gently lifting up her hand and slowly reaching over as she placed it on his toned arm.

As soon as her hand came in contact with his skin, the butterflies yet again erupted inside of her which was soon joined by pleasure as it all washed over her insides. Immediately, she could feel the joy and pleasure washing and cleansing out all of her worries as they poured out of her, her heart was racing in excitement inside of her chest, a rush of the blood flow making its way to her cheeks, as his turned a deep shade of red as well. Curiously, his eyes left hers as they dropped down to the sight of warm flesh coming in contact with his, which brought him nothing but joy and pleasure.

Usually, Jane was never one of those women to be so forward and aggressive when it came to men, which is until she met this man. Back home in London, if men were to approach her, she would often refuse to give him the time of day or not even look in his direction and just blatantly walk right past them while she heard the sounds of their whistles behind as they tried to catch up to her. For the young woman, the men back in England were not her taste, or her cup of tea, seeing as most of them that she would encounter in the streets would try and harass her to join them for a glass of beer and a shot of pure rum, which instantly turned her off. And then of course, there was Clayton, that same nasty man who only wanted her for one thing, and that was to keep him satisfied, in bed.

But to Jane, for some reason, this young man was so mysterious, even if did have Autism, there was just something about him that immediately caught her attention, which she often found herself drawn to him the minute she first she spotted him. It wasn't only his handsome and exotic looking physical features that would pull her towards him; it was definitely something else, something emotional that she just couldn't yet put her finger on, which often made her adequately begin to obsess over him. Deep down, a though in Jane's head was screaming out to her that being around him was also not such a smart idea, but the other part of her mentally blocked out the annoying voice and just continued to focus her attention on this man.

As she kept her hand on his arm, her fingers lightly grazing over his muscles in fascination as those tiny familiar bumps began to rise up on his skin, Jane quickly snapped out of her fantasy thoughts and darted her gaze towards the now messy sheet of paper that stood on the canvas in front of her, her eyes glazing over the different kinds of squiggly lines in various shades of colours, which did make her cringe a little on the inside, but she was careful not to let her tension show. Furrowing her brow as she squints her eyes to get a better look at the painting, the young woman opened her mouth to speak.

"What are you painting dear?" She asked softly as she turns back to look at him, his eyes still on hers as they curiously glazed over her form in fascination, before shaking his head and snapping out of his fantasy, quickly throwing his gaze onto his masterpiece in front of him (to him it was).

"Lines." He pointed his fingers towards the painting in front of him, making sure that the young woman saw his art work, his eyes landed on hers for some sign of hope and encouragement. Jane did nothing but crack a soft and nervous chuckle, keeping her hand rested on his arm. Hearing her soft laugh that only brought music to his ears, Tarzan awkwardly found himself joining in with her, beginning to crack into a small laugh as well, their voices coming together and creating such an unusual, but beautiful sound, despite the fact that his laugh sounded adequately louder and uneven compared to hers.

As soon as their laughs died down, Jane found herself caught in the moment yet again as her blue eyes stared into his brown ones, Tarzan's face beginning to grow somewhat serious and confused as he cocked his head to the side, studying the young woman sitting beside him carefully. As the young man continued to stare at the woman next to him, it was then when he found himself deeply taking in her features. His eyes curiously glazing over her sparkly blue ones, slowly drawing down to her pink and rosy lips that looked so soft and moist, as they trailed down her body that was covered with the thick fabric, the shape of her curvy legs that rested on the ground below them, and finally making his way back up to where they first were, back in her eyes, but it seemed as if his curiosity was getting the better of him as he found his eyes trailing over her soft brown silky hair, the way how it fell and rested down her shoulders.

Jane could feel his curious gaze wandering over her, which brought chills up her spine, her legs beginning to weaken and shake and her grip on his arm was beginning to grow somewhat tighter, feeling as her nails were digging into his skin, feeling his eyes drinking every single inch of her in, feeling as the hormones inside of her were screaming out to her to let them out already and right then and there, the young woman was willing to immediately throw herself at the young man sitting next to her and drinking him and showering him with kisses and pleasure, but she did nothing but suck it up and hold herself back from doing such a thing that might startle him.

What caught her surprise was that she instantly felt Tarzan's hand find hers, as she found herself slightly jumping and gasping in surprise, feeling as his warm thumb traced over the knuckles of her soft hand, which brought nothing but warmth and comfort flowing inside of her, closing her eyes and enjoying the feel of his skin against hers. But something caught her attention as she furrowed her brow in confusion, rather than feeling only his hand on hers, it felt as though she was feeling a cool and liquid touch that seeped underneath his hand. Confused and feeling slightly worried, Jane quickly snapped her eyes open and ripped her hand from his grasp, which only startled him as he jumped slightly, his curious expression replaced with slight fear.

"Tarzan, what is-?"

Before Jane had time to finish the question, her eyes grew wide in terror and panic as she witnessed what looked like something that could immediately end her life. Heart racing inside of her chest, it was then when much to the young woman's horror, she instantly came in contact with what looked like the colour of blue liquid that was rubbed all over the tops of her knuckles, realizing that the blue liquid was paint that came from none other than Tarzan's messy hands, her whole body beginning to tremble as she tried her hardest not to blow up or to have another melt down like she had earlier, but she failed.

"Jane…?" She heard Tarzan's worried voice behind her as she closed her eyes shut and did her best to try inhaling deep and steady breaths. Without even thinking, Jane found herself bolting up from the bed and trying to get as far away from this man as possible, pressing her body against the wall in front of her, not bothering to look back at him, feeling his worried and fearful gaze on her. At the corner of her eye, she could see as he slowly stood up from the mattress, both hands messy and stained with different colours of painted blended all over his skin, innocently holding his hands out as if he were reaching towards her, but witnessing that at the corner of her eye only made the young woman glide backwards, throwing one foot as her back bumped into the dresser that stood behind her.

Jane had to force herself not to look up into his fearful eyes that were now trained on her, witnessing her sudden change in attitude only confused him even more as he furrowed his brow in confusion and slowly took one step towards her, only to have her throw her other foot back as she stumbled back into the lamp that stood beside the wooden dresser this time, shaking her head in fear, the look of terror filling in her eyes, opening her mouth to speak.

"Do not come near me, Tarzan." She demanded firmly, her voice low and deep in anger, the young man blinking twice in attempt to figure out why the sweet and patient brunette was suddenly acting like this, for he had never seen this side of her.

Seeing as Tarzan couldn't seem to understand the words that flew out of Jane's mouth, he took this as an opportunity and another attempt to take another step closer towards her, which only made Jane hit her back against the cracked wall, the impact of the concrete was hard against her skin and she let out a small groan, clenching her teeth in fear and in panic, with her heart racing inside of her chest, her fingernails clawing the wall behind her as if she was trying to find some escape, but realized that she was now trapped. Deep down, she knew Tarzan was trying to do her harm, but as her eyes set sight on his messy hands and seeing them reach out to her was enough to make her cringe as her body shook. But most importantly, putting him in harm's way was what was beginning to cause her even more fear, trying to keep herself calm and under control.

"Jane…"

"Get away from me!" Her voice beginning to rise. "Do not touch me, Tarzan!"

Immediately, Jane could see the hurt and fear filling in the young man's eyes, seeing as he was beginning to blink back what looked like tears that threatened to escape from his eyes, which instantly brought guilt and shame to bubble inside of her belly, the look on his face tearing her insides apart and ripping them out of her. She knew she was in the wrong to react like that, but at the same time, her disorder was beginning to kick in and completely take over completely, as she herself tried to push the tears back, chewing on her lower lip and clinging onto the concrete wall desperately behind her, but seeing as she did not want a repeat of what happened with Tiana earlier, it was only best that she'd prevent herself from causing any sort of harm to Tarzan, which was the last thing she ever wanted. Seeing the apologetic look that began to wash over her face, without even thinking, Tarzan made another attempt to try and reach out to the frightened young woman standing in front of him, reaching his hand as he was about to gently grab hold of her arm with his messy painted hand, which was the biggest mistake he could have asked for.

"TARZAN DON'T TOUCH ME!" Jane shrieked and before she knew it and without even thinking, she violently back handed the young man right in the face, the impact of the smack whipping his head back, hearing as he let out a cry and groan in pain, quickly throwing his painted hands to his cheek – which was now smudged with a stream of blue paint- where the brunette hand struck him so hard, dropping to his knees and nursing his cheek while he began to softly weep, rocking his body back and forth, his cheek beginning to burn harshly.

Upon witnessing this, the young woman's eyes grew wide in terror, her eyes dropping down to the hand that she had just struck the young man with, her hand trembling as she quickly threw her gaze back onto the weeping man below her, realizing that she had just caused harm upon him, throwing her hand over her mouth as she realized what she had just done, her heart dropping down to the pit of her stomach, letting a few tears escape from her eyes as the Tarzan's weeping in her ears immediately tore her apart on the inside.

"Tarzan!" She choked through her sobs, not able to find the words that were buried deep down in her throat. Suddenly, the sounds of heavy footsteps immediately caught Jane's attention as her tear-filled eyes grew wide in horror, realizing that she was forbidden to be in this part of the hospital. The young woman knew that she had to make a run for it, but of course she felt extremely guilty for having to just leave Tarzan weeping like this. As much as it pained her deeply to think about this, she had to do what she had to do so with that, before she had time to think, Jane shot another quick glance at Tarzan and quickly bolted towards the door, not daring to look back at the weeping man behind her as she was out of his room in a blur and found herself sprinting down the hallway, bolting up the stairs as she was greeted by her personal bedroom, pushing herself in and slamming the door shut where she collapsed onto the ground and began to sob uncontrollably.

* * *

For the remainder of the day, all she could think about was him. Not even for a second did seeing the images of his face swirling about leave her thoughts, not once. For the rest of the day aside from dinner, she remained crying in her room. She never came out of her room to call her father and let him know how she was doing; she couldn't bear to hear his voice on the other side of the phone and to hear the hope in his tone that his only daughter was getting better. Right now to Jane, 'getting better' was far from what she was feeling right now.

Even at dinner time when everyone else was enjoying their meals and scarfing down their food after a long brutal day, Jane never once touched her food; she didn't even make any kind of eye contact with it whatsoever, her thoughts making her sick to her stomach immediately. No matter how hard she tried, she could not get this man out of her head, especially not after what she did to him. Jane could see his worried and fearful eyes planted deep in her head, hearing his cries and weeping in pain echoing through her ears, knowing that she had been the cause of something to horrible like that to happen to such an innocent man like him. She had caused him harm, but he wasn't the only one. First back home in England, it was her father, and then it was her close and only friend, Tiana, who was still unconscious and brutally injured and had to remain in the emergency room overnight for a few days; which meant no one was allowed to see her until she was better, and conscious again, and then her last victim, Tarzan, the one man whom she was attracted to and the only man to have respect for her.

During her relaxation time, she remained locked up in the art room, sketching and drawing him non-stop, her thoughts becoming obsessed with him; obsessed with his features, his chocolate brown eyes, his long dark dread locks that flowed down to his back, his toned and muscular body and his chiselled face. Jane couldn't stop thinking about him, despite the fact that she felt extremely guilt for hurting him; she needed to see him, to be with him, and to apologize to him for her behaviour, even if he wouldn't understand what she was saying, she wanted him to know her for who she was; she didn't want him to think that she was a bad person, and she was willing to do the same with him.

Before she even had time to blink, the day was pretty much coming to an end and Jane quickly found herself staring blankly up at her ceiling in the dark, her body wrapped tightly in the cocoon of blankets and curled up in a ball, while listening to the sounds of the hard clash of thunder which was accompanied by the sounds of hard and heavy raindrops that poured down from the dark sky, big drops and blobs of raindrops sticking and slithering down the glass window, the bright flash of lightening briefly flashed in through the window, which literally made the young woman jump and shake in fear.

Usually back home in England, falling asleep to the sound of rain was effortless, as it soothed her to sleep almost like a lullaby. Of course, that all changed when ever since she first stepped into such a new and unfamiliar place, and also the fact that her dreams and nightmares consisted of seeing Clayton's devilish grin circling around in her thoughts. Instantly just thinking about Clayton caused Jane to shiver in fright, feeling as a cool chill began to creep its way up her spine as she sighed deeply and closed her eyes shut, hoping to erase him completely out of her mind, trying to replace him with the thoughts of Tarzan and immediately, her mind listened to her and before she knew it, the young man's face had appeared in her thoughts.

As much as she deeply wanted to be with him, to see him, Jane knew that deep down, she couldn't bear to be with him; she couldn't bring herself to do that, not after what happened earlier. She knew that being around him, would not only put him in harm's way, but it would also put her in danger mentally. She knew that being around him would only make her issues worse than they already were which meant that she would have to be stuck in this place longer than she would expect, but that did not stop her from continuously obsessing over him, which began to worry her more.

Not even thinking more about this carefully, Jane quickly unwrapped herself from the blankets and hopped off her bed, wrapping her arms around herself as she twisted the silver knob open and slipped outside into the hallway, poking her head around to make sure that no one was lurking about. She breathed a subtle sigh of relief and quietly made her way down the hallway towards the staircase, sticking her foot out and landing on the carpeted stair below her before she quickly climbed her way down effortlessly without ever looking back over her shoulder.

Once her feet landed on the marble floor beneath her, Jane quickly took another glance around her, making sure that there were no nurses or doctors around. Satisfied and relieved that the coast was clear, the young woman lightly ran on the balls of her feet towards the men's hallway, clutching onto her robe and nightgown to keep her warm, with only the sounds of soft dripping from the water dispenser ringing in her ears with each gentle and light stride she took, eager to get to his room without getting caught.

Once she was finally able to come in contact with his room in the dim lit hallway, without any hesitation, Jane grasped the handle with her shaky hands, twisting it open, only to find that it was locked which made her heart sink deep into the pit of her stomach. As she quietly jiggled the doorknob, all hope was lost as she let out a deep and sigh, feeling as though the tears were beginning to pool up in her eyes and threatened to escape. She managed to reach up on her tiptoes and was able to sneak a peek through the small glass window, seeing his sleeping form wrapped in blankets was all she could make out; he was sound asleep.

Despite the fact that the door was locked, no way was the young woman about to give up this easy. Landing flat on her feet, a sudden thought came to her mind as her eyes grew and twinkled with the idea. Reaching a hand through her silky hair that was tied up in a messy bun; Jane quickly withdrew the bobby pin from her hair, only to have her silky brown hair fall so delicately down her shoulders as she stuck the pin in through the key ignition, twisting it open until she finally heard the sound of that familiar 'click', hope and joy filling inside of her, quickly letting herself in quietly and softly closing the door shut behind her.

It never occurred to her that Tarzan was a light sleeper. Just hearing the sound of the door shutting so quietly immediately snapped his eyes open as he quickly lifted himself up from his sleeping form, his eyes coming face to face with that same familiar silhouette, the one that he now feared. His eyes grew wide in fear as he quickly shifted his weight farther away from her, mumbling and muttering strange sounds that the woman could not understand. Seeing him so scared and fearful –more fearful than he was when she first met him- only tore her insides apart, feeling as though she had just been stabbed deep in the gut as an apologetic look appeared on her face, opening her mouth to speak.

"Tarzan…." She whispered. "It's okay dear; you don't have to be afraid of me."

As she expected the young man to inch farther away from her, surprisingly he didn't. Instead, he remained in the same spot as he did before, only this time, he cocked his head to the side in confusion, with just a tiny bit of fear still plastered on his face. Hearing her soft and pure voice only brought him that same amount of comfort when he first met her, blinking his eyes twice as he fisted a ball of blankets in his arms and hugged them tight to his chest, the feel of the soft material against his flesh was comforting. Swallowing a blob of nervous saliva, Jane took this as an opportunity to slowly take a step closer towards him, holding out of her hands in case he were to react in a way she desperately wanted to avoid. Seeing as he did not flinch while her blue eyes remained trained and studied on his still figure carefully, the young woman opened her mouth to speak again.

"I'm not going to hurt you." She said again, this time slightly louder but her voice was still quiet and soft, taking another step with each word that spilled out of her mouth. Taking her last and final step towards his bed, the young woman carefully adjusted her weight onto the mattress, flinching as she expected him to react, but shockingly he didn't. Instead, he kept his curious eyes trained on the woman sitting next to him while at the same time, cuddling with the blankets as if he was trying to protect himself from some sort of harm. Jane sighed in relief as she stared at the young man apologetically and in pity.

"Are you alright, dear?" She asked gently.

Tarzan didn't say a word, but only kept his eyes on her carefully, studying her intently. As Jane opened her mouth to speak again, instantly the sudden sound of the loud clapping of thunder caused her to jump in her sitting, frightening not only her, but the young man as well as he jumped violently and before the young woman had time to react, Tarzan had jumped right into Jane's arms and wrapped his arms tight around her waist, his head curled and snuggled up in her chest as whimpering escaped from his mouth, closing his eyes shut tight.

The impact of his heavy weight had startled Jane and she was now lying on her back against the pillows with a man curled up in her arms as she gasped, staring down wide eyed at the man below her. Seeing as he was so frightened and his mind was so pure and so innocent just like a child, pity bubbled in her belly as she sighed sadly, slowly and hesitantly wrapping her arms around him, her fingers running through his tangled dread locks while her other hand stroked his arm in comfort, resting her chin on the top of his head while whispering soothing words to him.

"Shh, it's okay Tarzan." Jane cooed softly. "It's only thunder dear, nothing will hurt you."

Hearing her soft soothing voice brought him comfort as the whimpering slowly began to die down, feeling as her fingers gently massaged his scalp through his mane of dread locks, her fingers brushing against the curves of his muscles was calming, goose bumps beginning to rise on his arms, butterflies filling inside of his stomach, the sounds of the raindrops pouring down was all that could be heard. The two lay together on the bed in darkness, with only the gentle rays of the bright moonlit night spilling in through the glass window inside his room.

Curiously, the young man slowly lifted his head from her chest, his hand gently grabbing onto hers as he inspected her soft skin and the form of her small hand closely, his thumb softly tracing the lines of her hands on her skin, as this brought chills up her spine and butterflies to form in her stomach, her heart thudding against her chest as she cracked a small smile.

"Hand?" He asked, furrowing his brow in confusion, feeling the tips of her fingers in his big and rough hand. The young woman smiled softly and nodded her head in encouragement.

"Yes Tarzan, you got it, that's my hand." Jane whispered happily, as Tarzan continued to inspect her hand, the feel of their skin coming in contact with one another immediately made sparks fly as the young woman felt nothing but comfort, not even minding that this man was curiously playing with her fingers. What caught her attention was when the young man put his own hand against hers, their hands coming together and joining as one, a twinkle of joy filling in Jane's eyes as she smiled softly, Tarzan staring at their joint hands in awe.

"One." He said.

Jane smiled as she entwined their hands together, the two of them grasping onto each other's hands as if they were afraid to let go of one another, feeling as though this was the man that she was destined to be with, the man who she has been waiting for her whole life. The young woman never felt this way with any man she has come in contact with. She felt as though there was something so new and different about this man, feeling as though they share some kind of special bond together that no one could break, not even herself for that matter. Right now, all she wanted to focus on was the moment that she was currently in, wanting this to last and never stop.

As the raindrops continued to pour down from the sky, it was then when Jane heard the sound of soft snoring, coming from the young man as he snuggled closer to her and buried his head in the nape of her neck, instantly falling into a peaceful sleep, their hands still entwined together. Jane hesitated, thinking if she should slowly get up and head straight back up to her room, but seeing how the young man had fallen into a peaceful sleep, she couldn't bring herself to do that, her thoughts and hormones taking over as they won the battle.

Sighing in content, the young woman gently stroked his head, her eyelids beginning to droop over her eyes and before she knew it, she had fallen into a peaceful sleep; a peaceful sleep with the man that she could possibly be in love with. It was moments like this that Jane always dreamed of and never wanted them to end.

* * *

**Hey my lovely readers! Wow, it's been a month since I last updated this story! Once again and as always, so so so sorry for the long delay! I'm trying my hardest to keep up with the updates and such. Anyways, I hope you guys like this chapter. Personally, I didn't think this was my best chapter and I'm sorry if some parts seemed rushed but I wanted to mainly focus on getting inside Jane's head a bit so you could see what she's actually going through and how she copes with it. But I promise throughout more of her chapters, I will show her conversing more with some of the other patients. I wouldn't blame you guys if you didn't like this chapter, but just bear with me guys! Lol! Anyways, I have something else that I would like to share with you guys! On my profile, there is a new poll that asks a question regarding this story. I would really appreciate it and it would really help a lot if you guys voted because from there, I'll know exactly where to go from there! So if you guys could take two seconds to do that, that would be awesome! Anyways, as always, I want to give a big shout out to my closest friend, Suzerenma, brittanastarkid, gravity5, a few anonymous reviewers and to my biggest fan, bs13! You guys are the best and I'm so glad you guys have stuck by me and encouraged me with this story. Anyways, you guys know the drill! Show your love and R&R! Next chapter features Esmeralda again! Thanks guys! More to come very soon! Mwah!***


	15. Esmeralda: May 26th

**Chapter 15: Esmeralda, May 26****th**

Morning had finally come, the sun rising brightly from its peak, ready to start a brand new day. Esmeralda's emerald green eyes gently fluttered open and it was instantly greeted with the bright rays of the sunlight that spilled in through her window, bouncing off her face. The young woman had a bit of a hard time getting her eyes to adjust to the brightness of the sunlight but once they were finally able to do that, she slowly rose from her sleeping form, lifting her arms up in the air as she stretched every bone and muscle in her body, her bones cracking slightly as they awoke from their slumber, opening her mouth as she let out a soft and quiet yawn. The bright glowing red letters on her clock read that it was 8:45am, meaning breakfast was in session and everyone else was already inside the cafeteria, but Esmeralda had been skipping out on breakfast for the past few weeks.

Letting out a tired yet satisfying sigh, Esmeralda wasted no time in rising up from the mattress beneath her, walking over to her dressing room table to retrieve her tooth brush as she quickly made her way to the door and slipped outside into the hallway and headed straight down to where the women's washroom was, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, the hallways were clear which was how she liked it as she continued on her journey, not really in the mood to come in contact with any of the female patients and be forced to make small talk or to accidently run into one of them and be forced to stand there and stare awkwardly at one another.

With each step that the young woman took, she couldn't help but feel as though her legs were beginning to wobble, feeling she was growing weaker and weaker by the minute, her whole body beginning to feel sluggish and loopy, but Esmeralda did her best to ignore that feeling and push past it as she finally reached her destination and casually slipped her way inside of the washroom, her bare feet coming in contact with the cold and tiled floor underneath her. Again, the gigantic washroom was empty, but Esmeralda was not complaining one bit. Once she felt that she was finally alone, the young woman rubbed the sleep completely out of her eyes so that her vision was perfectly crystal clear and took a quick glance at her reflection in the mirror, her cheeks adequately beginning to sink deeper than they usually were –looking as if they turned gaunt in a matter of days- her hair was slightly messy as it curtained around her face and her emerald green eyes were filled with nothing but sleepiness and exhaustion.

Despite the fact that the young woman found herself sleeping a lot more than usual throughout the day and usually going to bed an hour earlier than the routine stated, she could never figure out why she was constantly feeling tired and exhausted every single day. She found that her body was growing tired ever so quickly over the littlest things, whether it was climbing up only one flight of stairs or even walking from one couch to another that were both fairly close to one another. Even her personal nurse, Nurse Helen, was beginning to grow more concerned than she ever was.

Letting another sigh, Esmeralda just shook her head and erased the thoughts from her head as she twisted the silver tap over the sink and hearing the sound of water rushing from the tap was calming to her ears. She quickly stuck her tooth brush under the water to dampen it just a little and squeezed just a tiny bit of toothpaste out from the tube and instantly got to brushing and scrubbing her pearly white teeth, the taste of the artificial mint flavour of the thick liquid danced on her taste buds and worked their way around her teeth and through her pale gums, cleaning and killing away the stench of morning breath. After finally completely her third rounds of spitting and gargling, Esmeralda grabbed hold of a nearby towel and patted her mouth dry, her mouth feeling fresh and minty than ever as this satisfied her.

Once that was finished, she immediately got to work on cleaning her face, her hands scooping of pool full of the clear warm water and quickly splashed it over her face, the feel of the warm water relaxed her muscles and trickled down her face like a stream of a waterfall. Esmeralda continuously rinsed her face over again until she was sure that it was now fully clean and the sleep and exhaustion had finally been washed away. Closing the taps shut, she reached over for the towel that she had used earlier and gently wiped away the strands of water drops that ran down her flesh, catching each drop in the towel. Once she was finished, she tossed the used towel into the bin standing next to her –which consisted of already used towels- and finally took another look at herself in the mirror, worry filling her eyes as she kept her vision trained on her reflection that stared back at her, fighting back the tears that threatened to escape.

It was clear that over the past few weeks of not eating or filling her belly with anything whatsoever –with the exception of small cups of water- her weight was quickly beginning to shed more and more with each day that passed, her toned stomach growing thinner and sinking in, with only the tops of her firm hips still showing and poking out, her arms beginning to look boney, the bones in her knees starting to stick out as well as her calves that looked like they've shrunken as well. It wasn't long until her eyes travelled to her upper body, luckily her breasts were still in place but it was obvious that they were beginning to shrink as well, her usual layer of skin that covered her collarbones had vanished as her collarbones were beginning to stick out, her cheeks were slightly sunken than they were before.

As much as she knew that the changes in her body were obvious, Esmeralda refused to see those changes. Instead, she convinced herself to think and see the opposite of what everyone else would see. Instead of seeing how skinny and boney her legs and her arms have gotten, those were instantly replaced with a thicker layer of fat skin that jiggled with each step she took. Instead of seeing her collarbones sticking out, her cheeks that were now sunken and her stomach that shrunk, she replaced with nothing but fat. A larger mid-section, with the fat that would spill over the tops of her skirt, her collarbones covered with much thicker skin and her cheeks growing like the size of a balloon along with growing a double chin, maybe even a triple. That's what the young woman convinced herself to see.

She refused to see the obvious. As much as she wanted to get the help she desperately needed, she felt like she couldn't, like all of this was so hopeless to her. Even though she's been here for two weeks, she hoped that this would all blow up and everything would go back to normal, hoped that she would be able to quickly forget about this and to be cured once and for all, but she was wrong. Esmeralda knew deep down that what she had was going to be a life-long, maybe even a permanent illness that she was never going to get rid of, no matter how much she wanted to. As much as she tried her hardest to take the first step and at least attempt to take one small bite out of her meals instead of having to waste them, she immediately heard her mom's voice echoing in her thoughts, hearing her crude and hurtful words.

Having a mother that was so judgemental only made things worse for the young woman. She would never forget hearing her mother constantly tell her that she was gaining weight or getting thicker than usual, or even pressure her to be someone that she wasn't. Esmeralda could never understand why her mother would not accept her only daughter the way she was, or to love her for whom she really is. A mother is supposed to love and protect her child, not judge her or put all the blame on her and ship her off to some mental institute and act like everything is normal just like it was before. But the young woman knew that she couldn't just blame this whole thing on her mother; part of this involved her father. Seeing as he was no longer in her life only made things worse.

After when her father left and the thick walls of protection began to crumble down around her, that's when all the hurt and pain came about and began to surround her. Her father was never there for her when she needed him the most. He stopped writing letters, he had stopped responding to her messages and her cries for help, feeling completely abandoned and shut out of her father's life completely; feeling as if she was no longer a main priority in his life anymore like she used to be, and she knew that she was no longer a priority in her mother's life either, both emotionally and physically. Having to be exposed to all of this, she felt as though no person would ever love her, which was the main reason why she never settled down with a man, which of course resulted in the fact that men would harass her in the streets of Paris when she was found alone.

Esmeralda had forced herself to stray away from the one thing she feared the most, which was love. As much as she so deeply wanted to be loved and cherished for whom she was, she knew deep down she would never find it, especially from a man, despite the fact that she longed for that kind of love and intimacy.

Taking another longing glance at her reflection in the crystal clear glass mirror, shifting to a sideway glance to get a better look at her figure in a sideways view, sad sigh escaped from her lips as tears pooled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks, chewing on her bottom lip to prevent the sob wedged deep in her throat that threatened to rise its way up and spill out of her. No, she was not going to let herself show any sign of weakness, no matter how broken and damaged she was mentally and physically. She could see that her beautiful dark skin was becoming slightly lighter, looking paler than ever before.

Sniffling and wiping a few strands of tears from her eyes, it was then when Esmeralda heard a strange and unfamiliar sound; a sound that she's probably heard before but never really brought herself to pay attention to. The sound startled the young woman, nearly jumping out of her own skin of feet as she gasped softly, clamping her hand over her mouth so that she wouldn't be heard. She listened carefully, furrowing her brows in confusion as she took a few tentative steps toward the sound, rounding the corner, her eyes coming in contact with the various bathroom stalls with the sound growing slightly louder with each step she took.

Esmeralda continued listening carefully, the sound was becoming clearer and right then and there, she was able to figure out what the strange sound was. The sound consisted of a person retching violently, sounding as if someone was trying to choke up their meal and release it from their body. Just by hearing this, Esmeralda's first instinct was to dash out of the washroom and search for help fast, but instead, she prevented herself from doing so, receiving a nervous feeling in her gut as she was able to figure out who it was that was vomiting so violently inside one of those stalls.

Taking a few more tentative steps towards the sound as the sound got louder with each step she took, Esmeralda finally reached where the sound was coming from, standing in front of the stall a few feet away, waiting patiently to reveal who would come out from behind that door, wincing with each retch she heard, closing her eyes shut and begging it to be over. A sigh of relief escaped from her mouth as the sound of the toilet flushing was able to calm her down, and she stood up straight, waiting for the person to come out from behind the door and to reveal herself.

Right then and there, the woman threw open the door and stepped out of the stall, gasping and literally jumping out of her socks, seeing Esmeralda standing there only startled her, a look of embarrassment and humiliation washing over her face as she quickly put her head down in shame and guilt. The young woman did nothing gasp in worry; an apologetic look appeared on her face, recognizing that was none other than her friend.

"Meg? Were you vomiting again?" She asked softly, as the young woman standing in front of her closed her eyes shut and continued to keep quiet, biting down on her lower lip to prevent herself from saying anything more, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Esme…." Meg began. "Now is not the time."

Esmeralda sighed deeply, her emerald eyes trained on the young woman standing before her, studying her carefully, trying to figure out why this woman was so closed up inside and why she continued to push people away when all they wanted to do was help her, but that was not the only reason why; the young woman could feel some tension growing between the two. Ever since that day when Meg had snapped at her, explaining to her that she should stay out of her business, Esmeralda decided that she would take her word for it and distance herself away from her and due to that, the two have not spoken or conversed with each other since that very day. Usually, Esmeralda was a very forgiving person and she was able to simply dust the smallest things right off her shoulders, but this was a different story. As much as Esmeralda wanted to take her word for it and just leave her to deal with these issues on her own, she couldn't. She knew that Meg needed someone, and she was not going to give up on this. Esmeralda frowned; cocking her head to the side as she stared studied the woman carefully, figuring out where she should start with her.

"I don't understand why you always push people away when they're only trying to help you." The woman explained firmly, only to have the Grecian beauty snap her eyes open as she rested her purple eyes on the woman standing before her, frowning back.

"Because, this is _my _business!" She snapped bitterly. "I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself! Why can't you just accept that?"

"It doesn't matter if you're big person or not, everyone needs some sort of help, Meg, and I know you're one of them."

"Who are you to tell me when I need help and when I don't?" Meg demanded as she clenched her hands in fists, her knuckles turning white.

"Meg do you hear yourself?" Esmeralda argued back. "Look at what you're doing to yourself! You deny that you need help, you deny that you have a problem and-"

"Me?" Meg spat. "You're one to talk, Esme! Why don't you look at what you're doing to yourself?"

The young woman closed her mouth shut, pressing her lips together in a firm line, hearing the words that left the woman's mouth, realizing that she was completely at loss for words.

"You're the one telling me that _I _need help when you have much bigger problems than I do! So don't you dare go around judging me and telling me that I need help and pretending to be the big strong person you think you are!"

Scoffing and shaking her head, Esmeralda stared the woman in front of her, her painful eyes staring into her cold purple ones as silence lingered about in the air around them. After all she was trying to do; the young woman could not believe that her so-called friend would go so low as to judge her right back and not even consider taking her up on the offer for help, or even thanking her, not one bit and how was she rewarded? By technically being called a complete hypocrite. Seeing as Meg was making no attempt to break the silence, again Esmeralda had to be the bigger person and do so.

"Fine." Was all she said. "I'm sorry for actually caring about you."

Not even bothering to look back over her shoulder, immediately Esmeralda stormed her way out of the bathroom and made her way down the hallway, wanting to get far away from that woman as possible, not daring to look back. Her negative energy was beginning to kick in, but they mainly revolved and consisted around that bitter woman that was also known as her so-called friend, how every time she offered to help, her reward was being shut out and pushed away, and Esmeralda was definitely not going to sit around and wait that, nor was she going to stand for her harsh attitude any longer.

Just as Esmeralda reached the stairs and before she could even stick her foot out to reach the staircase that was just underneath her feet, it was then when she heard the sound of her name being called, the voice echoing throughout the hallway and bouncing off the walls. Furrowing her brow in curiosity, the raven haired beauty whipped her head around to figure out who the voice belonged to. Much to her dismay, a frown joined with a look of disappointment crept its way on the young woman's face, coming face to face with the person she expected the least to ever come after her, realizing that the voice belonged to none other than a remorseful Megara that was jogging after her.

"Esme, wait!" She called desperately.

Once Meg came to a slow stop, the two women were instantly standing face to face with one another, with Esmeralda glaring at the woman standing before her, while the look of Meg's face consisted of nothing but remorse and apologetic. Before Meg could open her mouth to speak, Esmeralda beat her to it.

"What do you want?" She demanded in a bitter tone.

The Grecian beauty opened her mouth to speak, staring right into Esmeralda's sparkling emerald eyes, but quickly snapped her mouth closed shut and lowered her head in shame, her purple eyes trained on her bare feet as she nervously twiddled her fingers, and awkward silence fell amongst the two. The young woman let out a subtle sigh in frustration, waiting patiently for the woman to speak, her arms crossed over her chest and her now boney hip cocked out to the side. Finally after what seemed like five minutes, Meg slowly lifted her head back up to look Esmeralda straight in her eyes, wanting her to know that every word that was about to pop out of her mouth, she meant it.

"I'm sorry." She apologized; her tone was soft and quiet. "I-I shouldn't have snapped at you like that…back in the washroom."

Esmeralda remained quiet, slowly relaxing her eyebrows that were once knitted, studying the woman carefully, and her arms still remained crossed over her chest; she could tell that Meg had more to say.

"And about the other night," Meg continued. "Again, I'm sorry for snapping at you that time too. You're right, I-I shouldn't keep pushing you away when all you've been trying to do….was help me."

"Okay…." Esmeralda said in a quiet, yet obvious tone. "Apology accepted."

"That's it?" Meg raised an eyebrow. "That's all you have to say?"

"Yeah…." The young woman sighed. "What more do you expect me to say?"

Meg furrowed her brow, pressing her lips into a thin line. "I just….went out of my way to apologize to you….and all you have to say is 'apology accepted'?"

"Yeah, I've said all I could to you already….I guess I have nothing else to say."

The brunette scoffed in disgust, staring the woman standing before her up and down carefully with a watchful eye, sticking out her hip and resting her hand against it, that same bitter look reappearing on her face once again.

"What is that look for?" Esmeralda asked in a sarcastic tone.

"You're unbelievable!"

"And why is that?" The woman barked. "Because I won't just suddenly turn around and hug you and tell you that everything is going to be fine like I've tried to do?"

Meg immediately dropped open her lower jaw, her vicious scowl mixed with a piercing glare boring right into Esmeralda's emerald eyes that were filled with nothing but anger, hurt and abandonment; her piercing glare shooting bright red daggers straight into Meg's purple eyes. Meg quickly broke the silence that fell amongst the two.

"Because I realized that what I said to you was wrong and un-called for!" Meg snapped, her voice beginning to rise. "Why can't you just accept the apology?"

"Because Meg, you clearly don't realize how much your actions and words can hurt someone! Whether it's physical or verbal! Sometimes an apology doesn't make the hurt go away!"

"You don't think I know that?"

"Well clearly to me you don't!" Esmeralda argued. "Face it Meg, from the day I first met you, all I've tried to do was to help you, to be that friend that you could lean and count on! And how do you thank me? By pushing me away and telling me to stay out of your business!"

"Well you know what Esme, that's your own fault!" Meg spat. "No one told you to be friends with me! No one told you to talk to me, or even look at me! I'm so sick and tired of everyone thinking that I'm weak and desperate and that I need someone to help me! I don't! Okay?"

"Meg, will you just stop! Just stop it! No one is saying that you're weak, nor is anyone saying that you're desperate, okay?"

"Yes you are, and you damn well know that Esme! So don't you dare go around trying to dump all of this bullshit on me or make it seem like this whole thing is my fault! If you can't accept me for whom I am, then there's the door! Don't bother associating yourself with me anymore!"

Esmeralda just stared at the woman in front of her, her mouth hanging open in shock. She couldn't believe a single word that was flying out of this woman's mouth. Silence filled the air between the two, with the raven haired beauty shaking her head in disappointment and sighing heavily, opening her mouth to speak.

"Wow Meg." She said quietly. "After all that everyone has been trying to do to help you, this is how we're rewarded, huh."

The Grecian beauty scoffed in annoyance as she rolled her eyes and let out a heavy, yet annoyed sigh.

"Save it, Esme." She spat. "You're pathetic. In fact, this whole thing between is pathetic."

"Oh suddenly _I'm _the pathetic one now?" Esmeralda challenged. "Meg, just a few weeks ago, _you _were the one that reached out to me and told me that everything was going to be okay."

"Yeah so I said that to you, what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that you deny everything! And you tend to twist people's words around, a lot! Why can't you just admit it for once that you need someone to be there for you? You keep putting on this front that you're big and tough and you can handle yourself but deep down Meg, I know that you're hurting, and I know that you're hiding."

"_I'm _hiding?" Meg yelled. "You seriously have the audacity to say that I'm the one who's hiding?"

"Meg, that's not exactly what I was trying to say but just listen to-"

"Save it!" The woman spat. "You really are pathetic Esme, you are such a hypocrite!"

Upon hearing this, anger and fiery instantly clouded through the young woman's emerald eyes, her piercing glare boring right into the woman's purple ones, clenching her fists by her sides, trying to blink back the angry and bitter tears that threatened to escape.

"What did you just call me?" She threatened.

"You damn well heard me."

"All of this?" Esmeralda threw up her hands in annoyance. "Just because I was trying to help you?"

"Wrong! All of this because you're a pathetic and complete hypocrite! You think you know everything don't you?" Meg shouted back.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Esmeralda demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You think you know me! Well guess what, you don't! You don't go around telling me that I'm the one who's been hiding!"

"Stop." The young woman pressed, glaring.

"You're the one who's been hiding all along. You pretend to walk around and act like you're such a big girl and that you know everybody."

"Meg, stop."

"When in reality, you're just a scared little girl that turns the other way around to run and hide."

"Stop it."

"Face it, I'm not the one that needs anyone. You only started talking to me because _you're _the one that needed someone to be there for you all along."

Esmeralda just stared and kept quiet; completely at loss for words that were now wedged deep inside her throat, a painful lump beginning to rise its way up as she continued to hold back the angry tears that threatened to escape from her eyes, biting on her lower lip, hard enough to draw tiny bits of blood as she felt the bitter taste seep onto her tongue and dance among her taste buds. Closing her eyes shut as she knitted her eyebrows together, the young woman opened her mouth to speak.

"You're a very bitter woman." She whispered angrily under her breath.

"I'd rather be a bitter woman than a phony little bitch who turns out to be just a pathetic little coward." Meg spat back.

As soon as the words flew right out of her mouth, Esmeralda instantly snapped open her emerald eyes, tears beginning to pool within in her eyes as a single tear spilled down her cheek, her expression was nothing but pure anger and extreme pain, her eyes stinging by the choice of words that they were forced to endure, feeling completely broken and betrayed. Without saying another word, the young woman only glared the woman standing before, spinning on her heel and quickly making her way down the stairs, stormed her way down the quiet hallway while the tears escaped and were now racing down her cheeks one by one, finally came in contact with a nearby washroom, threw open the door with such force and instantly slammed it shut as she rested her body back against the wall, sliding down until her butt met the ground, burying her face in her hands and began to sob silently.

* * *

The big hand struck 2:00pm, and lunch had just ended, meaning that activities were about to start right in the nick of time. Everyone piled out of the cafeteria, curiously searching for the partners; some were eager to socialize with one another, while the other half dreaded it the most. Almost everyone had gotten into their usual pairs, all except for one individual in particular.

Angry tears had now completely vanished from her face as Esmeralda cautiously made her way out of the restroom where she was seeking refuge for the remainder of the lunch period; her mind was not in the mood to socialize with anyone, especially not with a certain person in particular, not after what happened earlier in the morning between her and her so called friend, Meg. After the brutal argument that she had encountered with Meg early in the morning, she kept herself hidden, completely hidden away from everyone, feeling too humiliated and ashamed of herself for anyone else to see. But one thing that she would admit but never had the audacity to say it to Meg's face, Meg was right about everything; every harsh word that had come out of that bitter woman's mouth was true.

Throughout all her life, Esmeralda was known as a strong and independent young woman, which was why some of the young girls back in Paris would look up to her for strength and guidance. Even though the young woman was flattered to be a role model for younger girls, one thing she would never admit to them was the fact that everything was put on for a show. Meaning that behind all the strength and courage she would put on was nothing but a scared and broken young woman. She would never let people see her for who she really was on the inside. Not one single person knew about her situation and her terrible home life. Not one single person knew deep down how badly she was hurting. Not one single person would look straight into her eyes and find that same fearful young woman that hid deeply behind her mask of courage and bravery. Not one, which was why her whole life, she hid.

She was too ashamed to even show her face around to anyone; for fear that people would see her and know that something was going on, which she was definitely not ready for. Even though it was activity time, Esmeralda would try her best to suck it up and as always, pretend as if nothing had happened, pretend that everything is exactly the way it should be.

As everyone else had finally found their own groups and partners, Esmeralda was currently sitting out on the back porch, letting the bright yellow sun spill down upon her and warm up her cool skin, sighing in delight as she was enjoying the gentle and soft breeze that blew slightly in her hair, letting the draft of air soak into her system with her knees hugged to her chest and her chin resting on her knees, wanting nothing but to be alone at this moment. However, it didn't take long until she felt a firm but a gentle hand grasp her shoulder as she jumped slightly and jolted upright, gasping as she quickly shot her head up and came face to face with that same familiar person.

"Thought I'd find you out here." He chuckled softly as he slowly crouched down and rested his body on the porch right beside her.

Esmeralda let out a sigh in relief as she realized that it was only her activity partner, the one man whose company she enjoyed the most.

"H-hi Phoebus." She smiled sheepishly, as the young man returned the smile back.

"I scared you, didn't I?" He smirked, as the young woman laughed slightly, rolling her eyes and shaking her head, feeling her heart beginning to beat in delight within her chest.

"Yeah, you kind of did." She laughed lightly as Phoebus joined in with her. Pretty soon, silence fell among the two as they both sighed in silent unison, enjoying the feel of the soft breeze and the warm sun that soaked into their systems. Curiously, Phoebus turned to the woman sitting beside him, his blue eyes searching her as if trying to figure out where he should start and sooner or later, he found himself breaking the silence.

"So….what brings you out here?" He asked casually, keeping his curious gaze on the raven haired beauty. Upon hearing his question, the young woman couldn't help but slowly begin to feel the muscles in her body tense up, feeling as if every muscle had tangled up together in one clump. It wasn't long until she let out a deep and heavy sigh, closing her eyelids shut and opened her mouth to speak.

"I-I….I'm just…." She shook her head. "Stressed out a bit…..I guess…"

"About?"

Esmeralda sighed heavily and quickly shook her head, as if she was dismissing the whole conversation entirely. "It's….nothing….I'd rather….not talk about it."

Upon seeing her nervous reaction and hearing her answer, the young man did nothing but begin to tense up slightly, letting out a soft sigh as his blue eyes continuously scanned the young woman sitting next to him; sadness and worry was written all over his face.

"Esmeralda, you know that I care about you…" He began slowly. "And you know that….you can tell me anything; I'm here for you, I'm not here to judge."

Immediately Esmeralda felt a giant lump form inside of her throat. She could feel as the tears were beginning to build up within her emerald eyes and threaten to escape, but she did her best to fight back the tears, not wanting any to spill from her body, or show any sign of weakness. His words got to her, every single one of them and deep down, she knew they were true; she knew that this man was being nothing but genuinely honest, and she knew that he meant every single of his words that came out of his mouth. He was right.

Over the past few weeks since she's been here and ever since the very first time that she and Phoebus had bumped into each other for the first time back in the cafeteria, Esmeralda had really gotten to know this man very well, even since the two were paired up as partners. He was nothing but kind and truly genuine with a big heart of gold. To Esmeralda, Phoebus was different from the rest of the men back in Paris; the ones who would always harass her in the streets whenever she was alone. And most importantly, he was different from the one man that had betrayed her trust; her father. From being verbally, physically and sexually assaulted by those men back in the streets, Phoebus was definitely far from that. Phoebus respected her as a woman and most importantly, as a person.

Even though the two have only known each other for almost two weeks, out of all the patients here, Esmeralda knew Phoebus the most and she knew that deep down, she could trust him with all her might. She knew how much he truly did care about her ever since they first met. Esmeralda would find herself opening up and sharing some of her most personal secrets with this man, secrets about her eating disorder, the verbal abuse she got from her mother and her father abandoning her that she would never have shared with anyone else, not even with her own mother. It kind of surprised her how much she had opened up to Phoebus in the almost two weeks pass, simply because she was a private person and she usually never shared anything personal with anyone.

But Phoebus was an easy man to get along well with. Esmeralda was sure that Phoebus felt the same way about her as well, seeing as he himself would open up and share his personal thoughts and experiences with her as well. It nearly shocked the young woman when Phoebus told her that he was suffering from PTSD, and how his family just dumped off their own son without even saying goodbye or promising to him that things will get better. All Esmeralda knew was that every time she was around Phoebus, there was a strong bond that would grow between the two, feeling an instant connection and attraction to this man. Phoebus was the only man to ever understand her, and Esmeralda did not want to lose that, at all.

It nearly caught her off guard when the young woman felt a strong hand gently grasp her small, tender one; causing her to jump slightly at the feel of his warm skin coming in contact with hers, his thumb tracing over her knuckle softly and in comfort. Esmeralda slowly turned her head towards his worried gaze, their eyes locking with one another as she felt a rush of heat beginning to form inside of her, not being able to take her eyes off his blue ones, before opening her mouth to speak.

"I-I guess I'm just…..not having such a good day…." She confessed, her voice was barely a whisper.

"And why is that?" He asked in comforting tone. "What happened?"

Without hesitation, Esmeralda quickly tore her eyes away from his, her eyes resting on the white, puffy clouds that floated above her in the blue sky; her fingers gently squeezing onto his hand in desperation as she chewed nervously on her bottom lip, feeling the tears beginning to build up in her eyes that once threatened to escape. She could feel the young man's worried gaze still settling on her form, his body beginning to tense up as he could automatically sense that something was definitely wrong with this woman, and he knew that she needed to talk about it, to get it out of her system once and for all. It wasn't long until Esmeralda slowly closed her eyelids shut, sucking in deep breath and finally opened her mouth to speak.

"I just think that…..maybe this whole….being sent away from home to get help thing….was not such a good idea after all…." She whispered.

"Why do you think that?" He asked gently, scooting his weight closer towards her as he held onto her hand.

"Because….sometimes I feel as though I…..just don't belong here." She choked, the sob beginning to rise its way up her throat. "I-I knew…that I really needed to get professional help but…..I never thought it would be….this hard."

A sad sigh escaped the young man's mouth, feeling nothing but remorse beginning to build up inside of him as he watched the young woman struggle to confess her true feelings to him. His only response was to hold onto her head tighter, giving her a slight reassuring squeeze that he was here for her.

"You shouldn't have any right to feel that way." He said gently. "I know that this is extremely difficult for you, it's difficult for all of us. What made you feel this way in the first place?"

"I guess maybe….this has to do with the fight that my….so-called friend and I…got into this morning…"

"Are you talking about Meg?"

Just by hearing that woman's name, Esmeralda nodded. Not being able to hold the tears back any longer, a sob escaped from her mouth as she buried her head in her hand, her shoulders shaking from crying so hard and the tears cascaded down her face and dripped its way off her chin and onto her purple skirt. Without hesitation, Phoebus quickly slipped his hand out of hers and used both his arms to gather the woman in a comforting hug, his hand softly stroking her back while the other gently ran his fingers through her thick mane of black, luscious locks. Esmeralda buried her head in his chest and sobbed into the soft cotton material of his blue shirt, her hands desperately grabbing onto the fabric of his shirt, letting all of her sadness pour out of her system, feeling nothing but comfort creeping its way inside of her. Sighing heavily, Phoebus rested his chin atop of her head.

"Esmeralda, whatever happened between you and Meg….you shouldn't let that get to you." He said in gentle tone.

"But Phoebus, you don't know half the things she said to me." Esmeralda complained in a desperate tone. "And I know for a fact that everything she said about me….is true."

"I doubt everything she said to you is valid." He responded. "What could she have said to you that you would ever think is true?"

Sucking in a deep breath, the young woman continued on.

"That I'm…..not exactly the woman who…I thought I was." She confessed. "She's right about everything Phoebus. I-I'm not strong…..nor am I independent….I'm just a weak and pathetic little coward, a coward that desperately needs someone to lean on."

Upon hearing this, the young man scrunched up his face in disapproval and gently peeled the young woman away from his chest, his firm hands holding her shoulders in place as his blue eyes searched hers, but Esmeralda did nothing but keep her head down, lowered in shame and embarrassment, her emerald eyes glued to his blue shirt with a tiny damp stain on fresh tears that soaked through the cotton material of his shirt. After a few moments of silence, Phoebus spoke.

"Esmeralda, look at me." He demanded in a kindly tone. "Look at me."

Promptly, the young woman obeyed his orders as she slowly lifted her head to meet his gaze, her eyes red and puffy from the previous sobbing session that happened just minutes ago. Esmeralda could see the disappointment and anger deep inside his eyes, biting down on her lower lip in fear, ready for this man to burst out in anger.

"You are not weak." He began in soft but firm tone. "And you are not a coward."

"Phoebus, I-"

"Shh." He shushed her gently, placing his finger upon her lips. "Listen to me, you are the bravest and strongest woman I know, and I'm not going to sit here and let you be so judgmental and critical about yourself."

Esmeralda closed her mouth shut, letting the young man continue on with his speech.

"You are far from those traits, Esmeralda." Phoebus continued. "You're strong, you're independent and you definitely know what's best for you. Don't feel as though you don't belong in this place. Believe it or not, none of us do, but we have to be here because we all need help. We're all mentally unstable, and we're all strong enough to know that we're not alone, and we don't have to be."

Biting down on her lower lip once again, Esmeralda continued to listen.

"Just because you need someone, doesn't mean you're weak. It doesn't matter how strong we may seem. Deep down everybody needs that shoulder to lean on for comfort and guidance, and you should never doubt yourself otherwise. Esmeralda, you are a beautiful, smart and head-strong woman that I've ever met. If I hadn't have met you, I would be sinking right now, deep. You just have to believe in yourself, and trust that I will always be here for you whenever you need me, and trust that you are never alone."

Esmeralda kept her mouth shut, her voice caught and wedged deep inside her throat, unable to say anything after what she had just heard.

She had listened carefully to every single one of his words, letting the words that flowed out of his mouth sink deep inside her system, trying to stomach every single verb, adjective and syllable one by one. She couldn't believe her ears. Esmeralda felt that this was the very first time she was ever hearing something as strong and positive as this man's speech. His words were beginning to get to her. They were beginning to give her a slight sense of hope. Hope that maybe she _can _and _will _get the help she so desperately needed, even with him especially by her side.

Esmeralda knew that his words were true, and definitely did not come across at all of any sort of lie. Fat, salty tears began to roll their way down her cheeks, but these were not tears of sadness or hopelessness. No, believe it or not, these were tears of joy and belief. Belief that there was still hope and that she should not give up so easily and doubt herself brutally. While the young woman stared into his blue eyes, she believed him. Even though a piece of her was convinced otherwise, but she forced herself to believe his exact words. Never in her life had Esmeralda ever heard something so powerful and so supportive that gave her a sense of assurance. And that was what she needed to hear to give her a gentle push in the right direction. It was what she needed to squeeze out all of the negative thoughts and inject the nothing but positive and convincing thoughts. It was what she was waiting all her life to hear, and Esmeralda was going to do whatever it takes to grasp on to that.

Esmeralda sniffled and sucked in a deep breath, slowly exhaling as she began to compose herself.

"You….really think that about me, Phoebus?" She croaked.

Phoebus nodded, gently lifting his hands from her shoulders and using his thumbs to softly stroke away the salty tears from her face.

"I do, I've always thought that about you, Esmeralda." He confessed. "From the minute I first met you, I knew."

"Besides Nurse Helen, no one has ever said that to me before." She whispered sadly.

"You deserve to hear the real facts, Esmeralda." He said. "Everyone does."

"You're right."

"I want you to know that every single one of my words was the truth. I really meant everything I said to you."

"I believe you."

"Good, because you should." Phoebus said lightly, gently tilting her chin with his fingers to look into her beautiful emerald eyes.

Staring into his blue eyes only caused a weak smile to form on Esmeralda's face, slightly giggling through the tears and sobs that threatened to escape once again.

"You're the only person I can talk to about anything." She choked. "Besides Nurse Helen, you're the only other person….who tries to give me strength and hope."

"Like I said earlier, I'm here to help you, we're all supposed to be helping each other stay on the right path, and that is my job, to help you and I want to continue being there for you."

Esmeralda let out a weak laugh. "I know and I believe you. I trust you, Phoebus. You're the only man that I've ever been able to trust, and you're the only man I've ever known to keep his word and not betray my trust."

"And you know you can trust me with anything, no matter what."

"I know." She whispered. "It's just…..I don't want to end up….getting hurt again."

Bringing her head back to his chest and resting it there, Phoebus wrapped his arms around her, holding her close in a friendly and comforting hug. It was as if he was holding his own child close and protecting her from any harm that threatened to come her way. Esmeralda sighed in delight as she closed her eyes, listening to the sound of his steady heart beating against his chest. The feel and sound of it was calming to her ears. He gently stroked her back with the tips of his fingers through the thin fabric of her white, long sleeved shirt and rested his chin atop of her head; the feel of her soft, luscious black locks gently tickled his skin and the smell of artificial fruity flavour of strawberry and kiwi shampoo tickled his nose and sighed in satisfaction before he spoke.

"I'll never hurt you, Esmeralda." He whispered. "You just to have to trust me; trust that I will be here for you no matter what."

"I believe you, Phoebus."

She had whispered those last words before gently beginning to fall asleep as the young man continued to hold her close, not daring to let her go.

* * *

Before Esmeralda had a chance to blink once, she had found herself currently waiting anxiously outside of the doctor's office while she rocked her body back and forth nervously while sitting on the bench that was located right outside the office. Phoebus had been taken into custody by the nurse's and the doctor's due to his sudden mental breakdown that happened out of the blue during the hour for homework. Esmeralda hadn't noticed but she knew something had triggered his emotions, something that reminded him of his past, which frightened him furiously. She could never get the images out of her head.

She couldn't get the thought of seeing him so panicked and frightened out of her head. She couldn't get the sounds of his frantic yelling out of her ears, which only frightened her even more for his safety and well-being. Esmeralda knew his condition, and she was going to do whatever to takes to help him and to give him the hope and strength that he has given to her. She wasn't going to abandon him in his time of need.

Her train of thought was cut short as her body cringed at the sounds of hearing crashing and the throwing of glass and wood seep out of the cracked open office. She knew how much pain he was in, physically and mentally. Part of her wanted to storm in the office and try her hardest to calm him down. But the other part of her knew that she couldn't bear to hear his frantic cries. Hearing such a thing immediately shattered her heart into a million pieces, and she could feel the nerves and anxiety drop deep down to the pit of her stomach. Esmeralda knew that for her benefit, she couldn't take anymore of hearing this. Letting out heavy sigh, she removed herself from the bench and quickly made her way down the hallway. Her bare feet padding against the marble floor, eager to escape the emotional pain and torture of the person she deeply cared about welling up inside her.

She had completely lost track of time when she realized that it was already 5:30pm, which meant she only had half an hour left to finish the remainder of her Biology work, which she had abandoned the moment Phoebus began his mental breakdown. Biology was one of her worst subjects and Esmeralda knew with the amount of her work she had gotten, she definitely wouldn't have time to finish the rest of her work before 6:00pm.

Once she finally rounded the corner towards the rest room that was once empty, Esmeralda immediately came to a sudden halt. Stopping dead in her tracks, her jaw tightened and her heart felt as if it was going to leap its way right out of her chest as her gaze was fixed on not one, but two individual people who were currently in the process of finishing up their own work. But one person in particular stood out the most, as Esmeralda instantly recognized the same person she was desperately trying to avoid.

It wasn't long until the person looked up from her Trigonometry text book, her violet eyes staring right into Esmeralda's angered and emerald ones and immediately, regret filled her eyes as she tried so desperately hard to open her mouth to speak.

"Esme…I-"

Esmeralda shook her head, scowling. "Don't even bother, Meg."

Storming inside the rest room and viciously grabbing her text book and her binder, Esmeralda quickly found herself hurrying out of the rest room, rounding the corner while clutching her books tightly to her chest, her feet padding rapidly against the marble floor in a hurry. Seeing as her anger and emotions were getting to her, Esmeralda didn't even think twice about acknowledging the fact that Mulan was there also, which made the guilt begin to form inside of her, seeing as Mulan had absolutely nothing to do with this. Right now, Esmeralda just focused on trying to get as far away from Meg as fast as possible, despite the fact that Meg had audaciously tried to apologize; apologize for her behaviour that happened in the morning.

She had opened her mouth to speak, but the young woman blatantly ignored her. She was definitely not in the mood for another attempted apology from that woman. If one thing was for sure, Esmeralda knew deep down that she would be better off without her, better off without friends for the remainder of her time here, period. Esmeralda pitied Meg for her issues and disorder numerous times, but having to be caught in her negative bubble all the time did not help. And that was the last place where the young woman wanted to be caught in.

As she was nearing the corner towards another rest room that was clearly empty, it wasn't long until Esmeralda immediately heard the sound of her name being called. The voice echoed throughout the hallway as it gently bounced off the walls, and the soft and faint footsteps padded against the marble floor. Esmeralda stopped in her tracks, with her books still clutched tightly to her chest. Her first instinct was to think that the voice had belonged to Phoebus, and hope had promptly found its way inside of her. Without any hesitation, Esmeralda abruptly twisted her body around in the same direction where the voice was coming from, hoping to find that Phoebus was the one who had been running after her. But once her eyes landed on a completely different figure, her heart shattered and all hope was lost. Instead of feeling happy, immediate anger and hatred grew rapidly inside of her system as she felt the muscles in her body beginning to tighten hard as she came face to face with the same person she wanted to avoid the most; Meg.

The desperate calling of her name had come from the young brunette woman. She felt a glare creeping its way onto her face as Meg came to slow stop, her expression said nothing but worry and extreme remorse. With each tentative step that the young woman took, Esmeralda could feel the anger threatening to boil over inside of her, but she continued to maintain her calmness, even if she was on the verge of wanting to blow up.

Once Meg had come to a full stop and standing a few feet away, she nervously twiddled her fingers, heaving a heavy sigh before opening her mouth to speak.

"Esme…." She began. "Look, I'm really sorry about what happened between us earlier. I was wrong completely in the wrong, and I had absolutely no right to say any of that to you."

Esmeralda sucked in a deep breath through her nose, her jaw tightened. Clearly, she couldn't find the right words to say at the moment.

"I never meant anything that I said to you." Meg continued. "I was just…..I wasn't thinking clearly and…-"

"Save it, Meg." Esmeralda interrupted bitterly. "How do you expect me to believe that what you said to me was not at all true?"

Meg sighed loudly. "Look Esme, you have every right to be furious with me! But I was just so angry and so stressed and-"

"And that's how you deal with your anger and frustration? By taking it out on other people? Especially to the ones that care about you?" Esmeralda demanded in harsh tone.

"I-I….no!" Meg choked, shaking her head. "It's not like that!"

"Then tell me, Meg." Esmeralda challenged. "What is it like? What is it like to hurt the ones you love around you? What is that like?"

"Esme, just listen to me!" Meg begged desperately. "I'm sorry! Okay, I'm so sorry about everything that I said to you! Like I said, I wasn't thinking!"

Esmeralda could feel the fat blobs of tears beginning to form in her eyes, but only sucked it up and held them back.

"You weren't? Because it seemed to me that you meant _every _single _word _that you said!"

"Esme, please-!"

"Why should I even bother hearing what you have to say?" Esmeralda's voice rose in anger and pain. "You clearly don't know how badly your words and actions can hurt someone, Meg!"

The Grecian beauty promptly sealed her lip shut, pressing them in a firm line as she felt salty tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"Did you even think about how badly your words had affected me today?" The young woman croaked. "Did you even care to know that you were completely going overboard with this whole thing?"

Meg continued to stay silent, as she subtly sniffled.

"Your words." Esmeralda began, glaring as angry tears escaped her eyes. "Every single word that came out of your mouth destroyed me, Meg, and no matter how hard I've tried, I will never be able to get those words out of my head. It was enough that I had to deal with all the verbal abuse that I received from the woman I call my 'mother', but to have my so-called friend repeat the exact same thing to me, only worse, made me lose hope and faith. And you never cared to realize how much damage you had caused me. And if you never meant to let those harsh words fall out of your mouth, then you would not have said them in the first place."

Meg chewed on her bottom lip, her teeth biting down hard onto her flesh as she began to feel the bitter taste of blood seeping onto her tongue. Guilt and remorse only erupted within her. She closed her eyes and sighed heavily. Every one of Esmeralda's words had gotten to her, almost if they were a punch in the gut. Silence fell amongst the two women for a brief moment, but Meg decided to break the silence.

"Esme, I-I….I'm really and truly sorry about everything." She pleaded, fat teardrops rolling down her pale cheeks. "I-I….I'm so sorry for hurting you….and causing you more pain than you can already handle."

Esmeralda's responded by rolling her tear filled eyes as she clutched tighter onto her books. It wasn't like her to be so bitter and hostile towards anyone, let alone fight back. She was always so passive and more of a peace keeper than she was a fighter. Realizing as she had been pushed around all her life, right now, the only thing she could do was to keep her guard up and to not waist anymore time letting it hang down any longer.

"If anyone was right all along, it was you." Meg croaked.

The young woman knit her eyebrows tighter together, feeling somewhat confused of what had just fallen out of the woman's mouth.

"What are you talking about?"

Meg sighed. "You were the one that's been right about me all this time. I-I….I'm not as strong and as tough as people think I am."

Hearing her statement, Esmeralda felt her face begin to soften slightly. "Meg, you know that's not true and that wasn't what I was trying to say-"

"No, you're right." She interrupted. "You were right all along. And to make up for it, I've done nothing but pushed you away when in reality….you were just trying to be the one person I can trust and lean on when I need it."

Esmeralda sighed deeply. "Everyone needs someone, Meg. Just because you've always been strong and independent, doesn't mean that you should in any way feel weak when you feel as though you desperately need someone to be there by your side."

"I-I….I know…." Meg whispered through her tears. "I guess…..I push the ones that love me away because….I've never had people like you care about me so much, and for some reason….the thought just scares me."

"It shouldn't though. You shouldn't fear the ones that love you and want to protect you."

Meg sniffled as she wiped the tears from her face, feeling the sob beginning to rise its way up her throat.

"I know…and you're right." She choked. "I shouldn't have pushed you away when all you wanted to do was to help me, and be there for me."

Esmeralda tilted her mouth into a weak smile. "You shouldn't, because I know you're hurting Meg, and I want to be there for you."

The young woman only let out a choked laugh that was mixed with a sob. Before she knew it, she had been sobbing as she buried her head in her hands. Witnessing that her friend had broken into an emotional sob, Esmeralda quickly dropped her books to the ground and reached out to envelope the young woman in comforting hug, wrapping her arms around her shoulders as Meg desperately clung onto her friend and sobbed into her shoulder. Esmeralda had tears rolling down her cheeks as well, but she fought to push back the sob that threatened to escape.

Right now as she was holding onto her friend, that was when Esmeralda knew deep down that Meg had meant everything she said to her this very moment. She knew that Meg's apology was sincere and she meant every word she said. It was true how she never meant any of those harsh words that had slipped out of her mouth earlier. Esmeralda could see the emotional damage that this woman was in, and it was her job to be there for her like she promised.

Once she felt that Meg was able to die her sobs down, Esmeralda gently peeled the woman off her, her hands grasping onto hers in comfort and protection. Silence fell amongst the two, but Esmeralda was the first to break it.

"Does this mean….we're friends again?" She asked light-heartedly, as Meg let out a hearty laugh through her tears and nodded.

"Yeah…that is…if you're willing to forgive me."

The young woman did nothing but smile softly as she nodded, clearly accepting her friend's apology. "Of course."

* * *

It was 8:30pm. Night had fallen and there was only half an hour left until the patients were scheduled to be in their beds and lights out. Everyone was either enjoying the rest of what little activity time they had left, while others had simply decided to hit the sac early, including Meg and Mulan who decided that they were tired and wanted to go to bed early. Of course, that left Esmeralda alone and wandering curiously on the third floor, that is until she set hers eyes on none other than the dance studio.

Right now, Esmeralda had been spending most of her time wandering about inside the medium sized dance studio. The size of the studio wasn't too big, nor was it too small. The size was just right. The walls were a soft shade of deep yellow and there was nothing but a large, glass mirror that was covered on the left side. The wooden bar stretched across the room against the mirror. The mats were hardy and sturdy underneath her bare feet, but Esmeralda loved the feeling of the familiar material underneath her feet with each step she took. Just being in this place, only began to bring back memories, memories which consisted of her love for dance.

Back when she was growing up, dance was the only other thing in the world that Esmeralda loved the most, and not to mention, it was her passion. She vaguely remembered back in the day at the age of three at the time when her parents were still together and her family was well stable, where she had taken her very first ballet lesson. At first, Esmeralda was sceptical about taking her first lesson but over the years as she progressed, she began to fall more in love with the feeling of being able to move her body rhythmically to the music.

From dancing Ballet, all the way to Theatrical and even trying her hands at Salsa, Tango and Ballroom dancing, Esmeralda loved it all. It was all she could have ever asked for. From the time she started her first dance lesson, Esmeralda knew that her lifelong dream was to become a dancer, and to be the best dancer that anyone would ever set eyes on. Her parents of course encouraged her and supported her as much as they could, seeing as they were both so proud of their only daughter truly beginning to discover her talent and passion. They went to every single one of her performances and recitals, and Esmeralda would remember always seeing both her parents cheer for her, with a flash of satisfaction and happiness in their eyes. Unfortunately, that was when her dreams had shattered in an instant, falling apart piece by piece.

Ever since her parent's brutal divorce, Esmeralda had slowly begun to lose hope of her dancing, feeling as though her parents –especially her mother- refused to show any sign of support and encouragement. Even in the process of her parents' divorce, she was still able to continue to proceed with her dance lessons and classes. Her father continued to send some money over to her mother and help pay for her lessons, which only kept Esmeralda satisfied But her parents never continued to show up to the rest of her performances, which only made her lose hope even more.

Esmeralda would never forget the time where she was twelve years of age, she had constantly begged and begged her mother to come and watch her performance. All she wanted was to at least see her mother's smiling face in the crowd, cheering her on. And her mother had refused, yelling at her to get out of her room and to leave her be, and quoting that she was not in the mood to watch her 'stupid' recital. Hearing those exact words only made Esmeralda's heart sink deeper into her chest, feeling as she had just been jabbed right in the gut, but she did not argue back or even have the energy to beg and plead anymore.

It only made matter's worse where she had reached out to her father in that same year and literally begged him over the phone to come and watch her performance. She knew that her father would not let down and that he would keep his word. Joy filled inside of her when her father had complied and promised that he would be there to watch and support his only daughter. However, that all changed, and disappointment crept its way inside of her as she searched for her father's familiar face in the audience, only to find that his reserved seat was empty; he had never shown.

It was unfortunate at the age of thirteen when her father held back completely from reaching out to her that Esmeralda was forced to quit her dance classes, simply because her mother barely had any money to pay for the mortgage of their little house within the villages, let alone continue to pay for her dance classes. From the moment she had quit dance classes, Esmeralda immediately her dreams begin to shatter, everything was crumbling down around her. Of course, she had been devastated that she would never be able to live the dream that she's always wanted ever since she was four years old. She was forced to give up dance completely.

From the time she was forced to quit, Esmeralda had never danced ever again; with the only exception of dancing in the streets for money once in a while. It pained her to think of how successful she could have been if she had just stayed true to herself and somehow find a way to make her dream come true. But most importantly, it pained her to think of how healthy she could have been if she had just been strong enough to do what was right for her, instead of always having to feel as though she had to please her mother, the one person that put her in this place and felt absolutely no remorse or guilt about it whatsoever.

Heaving a deep sigh, Esmeralda found herself making her over towards the sound system, her fingers shaking slightly but she quickly switched on the stereo and soft, slow music filled her ears. She turned towards the large mirror before her, standing up straight and sucking in a deep breath through her nose, and exhaling slowly as she began to gently sway her hips to the music. Soon, she found herself throwing in the gentle movement of her arms and her legs, spinning on the ball of her foot and coming back to her regular rhythm to the music.

For the first time in years, Esmeralda began to feel like her old self again. Right now as she was dancing and putting in so much energy and effort into the movement of her body, she felt confident. She felt like the person was she was destined to be her whole life, but never got to experience. Esmeralda continued to move and sway her hips delicately to the music, matching every beat so effortlessly, and spot on. She knew deep down that she was destined to be a dancer.

From swaying her hips and spinning effortlessly on the ball of her feet, Esmeralda decided to finish off with a graceful branchiate, leaping so gracefully into the air and landing on the balls of her feet on the hard mat. She huffed and puffed, feeling slightly out of breath but relieved and satisfies all at the same time. That was the first time in years that she's ever felt confident and so proud of herself in years, and she had enjoyed every minute of it. That was the first time she has ever felt stress free, let alone pouring all of her emotions out into that one dance routine that she had improvised right on the spot.

However, it never occurred to the young woman that a certain and familiar figure had been watching her all along while standing in the doorway, staring at her in awe. He gently cleared his throat, which nearly startled the young woman as she nearly jumped right out of her sockets and whipped her whole body around. Relief washed over her when she realized that it had been Phoebus all along who had been watching her.

"You scared me, again." She said breathlessly, laughing slightly.

The young man did nothing but smile softly as he sheepishly entered the studio, with his hands wedged deep inside his pockets as he made his way over towards the young woman, who looked nothing but happy to see him.

"You…." He began. "You….wow! I never knew you could dance!" He said in awe in amazement.

Esmeralda could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks as she blushed furiously, sheepishly pushing her hair back that had fallen in her face.

"I-I…..I've danced my whole life." She confessed. "Well…sort of."

"You're an amazing dancer." Phoebus said quietly, as Esmeralda smiled sheepishly.

"Thank you." She said, looking him over in concern. "How are you feeling? Did the doctors say you're okay?"

Phoebus rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Yeah…." He sighed. "It turns out I was just experiencing some sort of….past tense trauma."

The young woman stared at the young man in remorse with wide eyes, worry and remorse written all over. She couldn't hold herself back from desperately grabbing onto his hand and clutching it close.

"Are you okay?" She asked in concern, as the young man sighed and nodded.

"I'll be fine." He said reassuringly, tracing his thumb over her knuckles. "You don't have to worry about me."

Sighing in relief, Esmeralda tilted her mouth into a soft smile. The two smiled back at one another, finding nothing but comfort within each other, completely unaware of the soft music that was still currently playing in the background. Out of nowhere, a sudden thought came to Phoebus's mind as recognized that the previous song from before had switched to slow and romantic song, a song that was perfect for a slow dance. As he smiled down at the raven haired beauty standing beneath him, he gently slid his hand out of hers. He held out the same hand in a gentlemen like gesture, which clearly stated that he was requesting a dance.

"Would you….like to have one dance with me?" He asked kindly.

Staring down at his hand, Esmeralda found her mouth tilting into a soft smile as she felt the heat rush to her cheeks. Slowly, she reached out her hand and grasped it with his, feeling the butterflies beginning to flutter excitedly about in her stomach as she nodded and opened her mouth to speak.

"I-I…" She stuttered. "I….would love to."

Smiling, Phoebus entwined his fingers with hers as he gently pulled her closer towards him. Esmeralda immediately blushed at the feel of their bodies coming in contact with one another. She could feel her heart leaping inside of her chest rapidly as she felt his hands resting either side of her hips and encircling around her slender and slightly bony waist. Esmeralda's response was to gently place her hands on either side of his shoulders, holding onto him desperately as their bodies brushed against each other, swaying delicately to the music.

Esmeralda kept her eyes on their feet while they moved to the music. The two let the sound of the music sweep them away, away from this place and away from everything. Never in her life had Esmeralda felt this way before, let alone feel this away about a man that she was deeply attracted to at the moment. To her, living in this moment felt right, and she never wanted it to stop. As the music continued to play, she sheepishly found herself closing her eyes shut and resting her head softy against his shoulder. Phoebus response was to hold her slightly tighter as he sighed and rested his head against the top of her head. They let the sound of the music soak into their systems.

"Esmeralda….." She heard Phoebus whisper her name sweetly.

Slowly lifting her eyelids open, Esmeralda lifted her head from his shoulder, her emerald eyes staring straight into his blue, wide ones, not being able to take their eyes off of one another. However before the young woman had time to blink and figure out what was about to happen next, it wasn't long until she felt Phoebus's warm and soft lips press gently against hers. Widening her eyes open in shock as she felt his lips part with hers, Esmeralda found herself unable to resist as she simply joined in and kissed him back, passionately.

Their lips parted and joined together as the young woman found herself wrapping her arms desperately around his neck, while he circled his around her waist and pulled her close. The two shared another passionate and soft kiss with one another, and it was clear that neither of them wanted this moment to end. Unfortunately, their little moment was forced to come to an end as they both realized that a nagging feeling was creeping it was into both of their systems, a feeling that was wrong and was screaming out to them to stop.

Popping her eyes open, Esmeralda quickly found herself breaking the kiss as she lightly pushed Phoebus off her, their breathing was heavy and both their eyes had been wide open in terror, terror about the mistake that was made, which they immediately regret.

"Phoebus…" Esmeralda breathed in terror. "We…we can't….we shouldn't be doing this."

The young man stared wide eyed at the woman, feeling nothing but pleasure but at the same time, remorse and regret. Blinking rapidly, Phoebus shook his head from the thoughts and composed himself, opening his mouth to speak.

"Esmeralda…" He began, stuttering. "I-I…..I…."

Without one last word, Esmeralda felt as Phoebus released her from his grasp as he rubbed the back of his neck in shame and embarrassment. Before the young woman knew it, she desperately watched as Phoebus quickly rushed passed her and disappeared from the dance studio; remorse, regret and guilt formed inside of her and completely took over her emotions.

As much as she wanted to pretend as if none of this happened, she would never be able to remove the moment from her head, or in this case, forgive herself for what she had done.

* * *

**Hey my lovely readers! Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and again, I apologize for my delay and lack of consistent updates! Things have been so stressful lately but I'm trying my hardest to work around it. In the meantime, I hope you guys enjoyed this! Since I haven't update this story in a while, I decided to make this a slightly longer chapter, after all, you guys deserve it and you guys have been waiting quite some time! I have to say, I found myself getting emotional while writing this chapter, simply because some of the concepts in here are based off of true events. But anyways, with regards to the poll that is on my profile, please continue to vote for which character you would like to see appear in this story and I will work my little magic around it! Anyways as always, I want to give a big shout out to Wolf's Willow, bs13, Purplepox63010 and my two very best friends, supersmashkingdomhearts1999 and Suzerenma! You guys are amazing and I'm so glad that you all have continued to stick by me with me this story. I promise, there will be plenty more ahead to look forward to! So you guys know the drill! Show some love and R&R! Thanks guys! Mwah!***


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